Tevesh
11-25-2009, 07:24 AM
I really like our statistical threads that we linked to, so that new players and veterans alike could click on a random Warcaster or Unit or whatnot and understand strenghts as if they'd been playing with the unit for years. I was thinking on the old board that our list had been getting a little long in the tooth and was no longer as accurate for Mark II. Well, now that the Mark II boards are here I think we should be updating the strategy threads and the like. So, here's the post on Assault Kommandos.
Special Thanks: For everyone who contributed in the previous AK post, and DemonCalibre for his insightful comments that I suspect kept the thread alive. Also, those guys who were crunching numbers could probably chime in here once they've figured out the math. My basic math skills are 2d6 = 7, 3d6 = 10 and 4d6 = 14. :P
Assault Kommando Abilities:
Immunity to Corrosion
Immunity to Fire
Alchemical Mask
Shield Wall Order
Assault & Battery Order
AK Weapons:
POW 10 Carbine
P+S 9 Attack
P+S 8 Attack
Strangle Gas
Note:
Strangle Gas is a gas effect, not a Cloud effect. There is no LOS blocking or Concealment bonus. Also, if you miss there is no deviation. The attack did nothing.
AK's Role:
Assault Kommandos are built to clean up Infantry swarms. Under the Assault & Battery Order, they can generate up to 30 attacks with a full squad. They aren't designed to attack high priority targets such as Jacks and Warcasters, as either the Defense and/or Armor is too high. But they will destroy your opponent's tarpits which should allow the rest of your troops to attack without any problems.
A criticism with AKs is that their stats are just shy of hitting high numbers and damage is too low to hit hard. Their purpose is to hit regular infantry, so this is understandable. In this fashion, AKs need a buff or debuff in play to be very effective. They're very unlike the rest of Khador's units that can operate independently. What this means is you might need to be prepared to take a Warcaster that has synergy with the AKs, or be prepared to invest in a unit/solo that could aid them.
AK Strategy:
Using the 'new' Shield Wall formation rules, you can have your AKs set up in bunches. What this means is you can have a few in the front that lead the attack. As your advancing, you can move up in Shield Wall and then have the back row gas the front row, meaning that if the front row of AKs get charged your opponent will be fighting at -2.
A variant to this would be to allow your front line of AKs to be engaged, then on your turn have your second row sacrifice their movement to aim and cancel out the firing into melee penalty with a back strike bonus as well. Then the frontline AKs have a decent shot at hitting their opponents, with two attempts. This strategy is probably very good against high Def, paper ARM units like Satyxis Raiders, Daughters of the Flame, and Kayazy's that rely on high Def to run in and engage enemies.
Assault Kommandos need to be used in more of a melee capacity than a ranged unit, just relying on a Carbine can be a trap. They have a higher MAT score than RAT. Using the Assault & Battery Order should be used to fire Strangle Gas gives the unit more longevity by protecting the AKs, using the Carbine is much more aggressive but also opens yourself to retaliation.
As A&B requires you to fire with every Kommando, you can shoot a Gas Grenade until it hits a model (as you'll eventually with up to 6/10 attempts) and then begin chaining Gas together. It's likely a Gas Cloud clipped more than one model, so you have the next AK fire Strangle Gas against the effected model to increase the chain. Once you've completely encased all enemies you wish to charge in Gas, switch to Carbine followed by a charge.
The Gas increases the unit's accuracy, and the Gas effect does not disappear if you kill the target (unlike a Greylord Cloud). Also, it keeps the AKs safe from retaliation by effectively bumping AKs Def to a 14. If you manage to Iron Flesh the AKs after they're in the Gas, an enemy melee attack will need to hit an effective 17, which is as high as Winter Guard under Iron Flesh and the Bob & Weave Order.
Carbines should be only fired if you're going for a kill, have already plunged the area into a Gas filled area or are facing undead/constructs. Then go for the Carbine, as Gas won't safe you in those instances. After all, if you kill all your targets, you now have a Def 12 Arm 14 squad standing in the middle of nowhere; your opponent will likely retaliate against a unit that can generate that many attacks. But Def 14 Arm 14 from Gas (in melee) is slightly safer.
Assault & Battery allows for the unit to run instead of charge. This could be important if you need one side of the field backed up, and instead of just running there the AKs can fire some shots as well. Also, the AKs will no longer be in SW, so some opponents just might jump at the chance at attacking the AKs when their ARM is only 14. Use A&B to get him frustrated by shooting, then try and kite his units forward into your trap.
Finally, AKs can be used to set up other units. Having 6/10 attempts to hit a Strangle Gas can insure a game winning spell or ability hits. For example, having Sorscha's Tempest or Freezing Grip spell connect against a vital unit.
If there is anything to take away from AKs, it is that they're very flexible.
AK Synergy:
Gorman de Wolfe - He functions similarly to a Unit Attachment to the AKs. By having similar immunities, Gorman can get into the same fights as the Assault Kommandos and not worry about reprisals. His Corrioson grenades do a lot of damage and do not hurt the AKs, meaning that Gorman can target the back of an AK for the +2 back strike bonus and free AKs from melee, allowing them to issue an A&B Order for maximum attacks. Gorman's Rust and Blindness grenades also even the fight against Jacks or High Defense targets, allowing AKs to attack targets that would normally be very difficult for the AKs to attack.
Aiyanna & Holt - Aiyanna can either give an entire unit magic weapons or cause harm to an entire enemy unit. AKs under A&B with magical weapons can put the hurt on Incorporeal with 30 magical attacks. If Aiyanna manages to Harm an enemy unit, the AKs damage output from A&B jumps to 12, 11 and 10 including a possible charge die. Holt aids the AKs by being another gun and hopefully stopping retaliation against Aiyanna to allow another Magic or Harm spell be cast.
Warcasters & AKs:
Zerkova - AKs do not have Gang, CMA or CRA to increase their accuracy. They have multiple attacks to try and mitigate this. Zerkova's Icy Grip gives a -2 to an enemy model/unit, meaning that the AKs "low" MAT and RAT that are supposed to balance their three attacks was just mitigated. Have fun with effective MAT 8/RAT 7, without using Strangle Gas.
Old Witch - Iron Flesh is usually used on the OW's primary infantry, whether that be Kayazy's or Winter Guard. Weald Secrets on AKs allows them to camp in forests, and abuse the OW's Murder of Crows (Murder of Crows is a 5 Inch Cloud that causes unboostable POW 8s). The AKs will harass a unit by being able to shoot through the Cloud, and the enemy needs to divert his forces around the Cloud, giving the AKs an ability to charge them; however, if your opponent tries to engage straight away, they'd need to walk or run(Can't charge without LOS) through a POW 8 and then tangle with the AKs in a forest.
Vlad1 - Has Signs & Portents.
Vlad2 - Has Hand of Fate. Transference will allow AKs to boost on critical attacks, like the first Strangle Gas attack. AKs also would benefit from Blood Legacy; gaining 12.5 charge threat range, MAT 9, RAT 8, P+S 12 and 11 while maintaining Def 15 ARM 17 on the retaliation turn.
Irusk1 - Irusk1 has arguably better synergy with other troops, but he still is very good with AKs. Iron Flesh is being used on Winter Guard a lot more, but AKs can benefit from it. Battle Lust increases the damage output of the AKs, while Inhospitable Ground allows AKs to use A&B to run away in a harassing fashion but also ensures that the AKs can get the charge off. Irusk1's Feat is gives AKs +2 to hit and Super Tough.
Irusk2 - Irusk2 has Artifice of Deviation, which grants Pathfinder, so he can use AKs in a similar fashion to the OW's Weald Secrets. Tactical Supremecy increases the Speed of the AKs, something every SW unit can appreciate; but the AKs even more so, as after they've finished A&B with Gas, they can jump into the Gas effects. Total Obedience mitigates the relative fragility of AKs, and Martial Discipline is always fun with infantry. Furthermore, Battle Lust does give Fearless as well as an extra die in melee. Finally, Irusk2's feat ensures you'll always get the charge.
Butcher1 - Butcher provides Iron Flesh to protect the AKs until they engage in melee, Fury gives +2 to melee damage (bringing P+S to 11 & 10), and the Butcher's Feat is nasty with an extra damage die to all attacks (this would be a good example of a time to use Carbines). The Butcher does not give anything shiny, but they're all straight to the point.
Karchev - Using AKs as an Eruption target, as they are immune to the POW 14 Fire attack. Using Eruption in this fashion, he can also force his opponent to move in a certain way, similarly to the Old Witch's Murder of Crows.
Cross-Tier Synergy:
Zerkova and Old Witch enjoy using Gorman for the Smoke Clouds provided. Once the battle has joined and LOS blocking does not become as important, Gorman can provide assistance to the AKs. The Butcher might also enjoy a Smoke Cloud to block his Medium base, but he's less reliant than Zerkova and OW.
Special Thanks: For everyone who contributed in the previous AK post, and DemonCalibre for his insightful comments that I suspect kept the thread alive. Also, those guys who were crunching numbers could probably chime in here once they've figured out the math. My basic math skills are 2d6 = 7, 3d6 = 10 and 4d6 = 14. :P
Assault Kommando Abilities:
Immunity to Corrosion
Immunity to Fire
Alchemical Mask
Shield Wall Order
Assault & Battery Order
AK Weapons:
POW 10 Carbine
P+S 9 Attack
P+S 8 Attack
Strangle Gas
Note:
Strangle Gas is a gas effect, not a Cloud effect. There is no LOS blocking or Concealment bonus. Also, if you miss there is no deviation. The attack did nothing.
AK's Role:
Assault Kommandos are built to clean up Infantry swarms. Under the Assault & Battery Order, they can generate up to 30 attacks with a full squad. They aren't designed to attack high priority targets such as Jacks and Warcasters, as either the Defense and/or Armor is too high. But they will destroy your opponent's tarpits which should allow the rest of your troops to attack without any problems.
A criticism with AKs is that their stats are just shy of hitting high numbers and damage is too low to hit hard. Their purpose is to hit regular infantry, so this is understandable. In this fashion, AKs need a buff or debuff in play to be very effective. They're very unlike the rest of Khador's units that can operate independently. What this means is you might need to be prepared to take a Warcaster that has synergy with the AKs, or be prepared to invest in a unit/solo that could aid them.
AK Strategy:
Using the 'new' Shield Wall formation rules, you can have your AKs set up in bunches. What this means is you can have a few in the front that lead the attack. As your advancing, you can move up in Shield Wall and then have the back row gas the front row, meaning that if the front row of AKs get charged your opponent will be fighting at -2.
A variant to this would be to allow your front line of AKs to be engaged, then on your turn have your second row sacrifice their movement to aim and cancel out the firing into melee penalty with a back strike bonus as well. Then the frontline AKs have a decent shot at hitting their opponents, with two attempts. This strategy is probably very good against high Def, paper ARM units like Satyxis Raiders, Daughters of the Flame, and Kayazy's that rely on high Def to run in and engage enemies.
Assault Kommandos need to be used in more of a melee capacity than a ranged unit, just relying on a Carbine can be a trap. They have a higher MAT score than RAT. Using the Assault & Battery Order should be used to fire Strangle Gas gives the unit more longevity by protecting the AKs, using the Carbine is much more aggressive but also opens yourself to retaliation.
As A&B requires you to fire with every Kommando, you can shoot a Gas Grenade until it hits a model (as you'll eventually with up to 6/10 attempts) and then begin chaining Gas together. It's likely a Gas Cloud clipped more than one model, so you have the next AK fire Strangle Gas against the effected model to increase the chain. Once you've completely encased all enemies you wish to charge in Gas, switch to Carbine followed by a charge.
The Gas increases the unit's accuracy, and the Gas effect does not disappear if you kill the target (unlike a Greylord Cloud). Also, it keeps the AKs safe from retaliation by effectively bumping AKs Def to a 14. If you manage to Iron Flesh the AKs after they're in the Gas, an enemy melee attack will need to hit an effective 17, which is as high as Winter Guard under Iron Flesh and the Bob & Weave Order.
Carbines should be only fired if you're going for a kill, have already plunged the area into a Gas filled area or are facing undead/constructs. Then go for the Carbine, as Gas won't safe you in those instances. After all, if you kill all your targets, you now have a Def 12 Arm 14 squad standing in the middle of nowhere; your opponent will likely retaliate against a unit that can generate that many attacks. But Def 14 Arm 14 from Gas (in melee) is slightly safer.
Assault & Battery allows for the unit to run instead of charge. This could be important if you need one side of the field backed up, and instead of just running there the AKs can fire some shots as well. Also, the AKs will no longer be in SW, so some opponents just might jump at the chance at attacking the AKs when their ARM is only 14. Use A&B to get him frustrated by shooting, then try and kite his units forward into your trap.
Finally, AKs can be used to set up other units. Having 6/10 attempts to hit a Strangle Gas can insure a game winning spell or ability hits. For example, having Sorscha's Tempest or Freezing Grip spell connect against a vital unit.
If there is anything to take away from AKs, it is that they're very flexible.
AK Synergy:
Gorman de Wolfe - He functions similarly to a Unit Attachment to the AKs. By having similar immunities, Gorman can get into the same fights as the Assault Kommandos and not worry about reprisals. His Corrioson grenades do a lot of damage and do not hurt the AKs, meaning that Gorman can target the back of an AK for the +2 back strike bonus and free AKs from melee, allowing them to issue an A&B Order for maximum attacks. Gorman's Rust and Blindness grenades also even the fight against Jacks or High Defense targets, allowing AKs to attack targets that would normally be very difficult for the AKs to attack.
Aiyanna & Holt - Aiyanna can either give an entire unit magic weapons or cause harm to an entire enemy unit. AKs under A&B with magical weapons can put the hurt on Incorporeal with 30 magical attacks. If Aiyanna manages to Harm an enemy unit, the AKs damage output from A&B jumps to 12, 11 and 10 including a possible charge die. Holt aids the AKs by being another gun and hopefully stopping retaliation against Aiyanna to allow another Magic or Harm spell be cast.
Warcasters & AKs:
Zerkova - AKs do not have Gang, CMA or CRA to increase their accuracy. They have multiple attacks to try and mitigate this. Zerkova's Icy Grip gives a -2 to an enemy model/unit, meaning that the AKs "low" MAT and RAT that are supposed to balance their three attacks was just mitigated. Have fun with effective MAT 8/RAT 7, without using Strangle Gas.
Old Witch - Iron Flesh is usually used on the OW's primary infantry, whether that be Kayazy's or Winter Guard. Weald Secrets on AKs allows them to camp in forests, and abuse the OW's Murder of Crows (Murder of Crows is a 5 Inch Cloud that causes unboostable POW 8s). The AKs will harass a unit by being able to shoot through the Cloud, and the enemy needs to divert his forces around the Cloud, giving the AKs an ability to charge them; however, if your opponent tries to engage straight away, they'd need to walk or run(Can't charge without LOS) through a POW 8 and then tangle with the AKs in a forest.
Vlad1 - Has Signs & Portents.
Vlad2 - Has Hand of Fate. Transference will allow AKs to boost on critical attacks, like the first Strangle Gas attack. AKs also would benefit from Blood Legacy; gaining 12.5 charge threat range, MAT 9, RAT 8, P+S 12 and 11 while maintaining Def 15 ARM 17 on the retaliation turn.
Irusk1 - Irusk1 has arguably better synergy with other troops, but he still is very good with AKs. Iron Flesh is being used on Winter Guard a lot more, but AKs can benefit from it. Battle Lust increases the damage output of the AKs, while Inhospitable Ground allows AKs to use A&B to run away in a harassing fashion but also ensures that the AKs can get the charge off. Irusk1's Feat is gives AKs +2 to hit and Super Tough.
Irusk2 - Irusk2 has Artifice of Deviation, which grants Pathfinder, so he can use AKs in a similar fashion to the OW's Weald Secrets. Tactical Supremecy increases the Speed of the AKs, something every SW unit can appreciate; but the AKs even more so, as after they've finished A&B with Gas, they can jump into the Gas effects. Total Obedience mitigates the relative fragility of AKs, and Martial Discipline is always fun with infantry. Furthermore, Battle Lust does give Fearless as well as an extra die in melee. Finally, Irusk2's feat ensures you'll always get the charge.
Butcher1 - Butcher provides Iron Flesh to protect the AKs until they engage in melee, Fury gives +2 to melee damage (bringing P+S to 11 & 10), and the Butcher's Feat is nasty with an extra damage die to all attacks (this would be a good example of a time to use Carbines). The Butcher does not give anything shiny, but they're all straight to the point.
Karchev - Using AKs as an Eruption target, as they are immune to the POW 14 Fire attack. Using Eruption in this fashion, he can also force his opponent to move in a certain way, similarly to the Old Witch's Murder of Crows.
Cross-Tier Synergy:
Zerkova and Old Witch enjoy using Gorman for the Smoke Clouds provided. Once the battle has joined and LOS blocking does not become as important, Gorman can provide assistance to the AKs. The Butcher might also enjoy a Smoke Cloud to block his Medium base, but he's less reliant than Zerkova and OW.