Three is all you need [O-12 vs. Spiral Corp]

After the loss against W0rstC4se, I hoped for some relief in the next IGIL-round, but only got one of his 'students', playing Tohaa/Spiral this event. I knew he would play quite good, since we knew each other a bit from the ENTE, but never had the opportunity to play against each other. So I was glad to get this opportunity, even if I have nearly no experience against Spiral Corp so far - Artichokes are simply non-existant in my meta, even in my online-bubble. The mission this round was Quadrant Control.

WorstQuadrant
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GROUP 1  10  / 1
 CYBERGHOSTS (Hacker, Hacking Device Plus) Combi Rifle, Pitcher ( ) / Breaker Pistol, PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0.5 | 21)
 VARANGIAN Submachine Gun, Chain Rifle, Smoke Grenades / Heavy Pistol, AP CC Weapon. (0 | 12)
 GANGBUSTER (Minelayer) Combi Rifle, Light Riotstopper, Madtraps / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 23)
 GANGBUSTER (Minelayer) Combi Rifle, Light Riotstopper, Madtraps / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 23)
 RAZOR (Minelayer) Boarding Shotgun, Shock Mines / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0.5 | 32)
 FUZZBOT (Minesweeper, Repeater)  ( ) / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 8)
 SIRIUS Red Fury / Pistol, CC Weapon. (1 | 29)
   SIRIUSBOT Heavy Riotstopper / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 5)
 SIRIUS Red Fury / Pistol, CC Weapon. (1 | 29)
   SIRIUSBOT Heavy Riotstopper / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 5)
 ALPHA (Lieutenant [+1 Command Token], Strategos L1]) Light Shotgun, Nanopulser / Pistol, DA CC Weapon. (0 | 24)
 EPSILON Heavy Machine Gun, Nanopulser / Pistol, CC Weapon. (1.5 | 34)

GROUP 21
 VARANGIAN Submachine Gun, Chain Rifle, Smoke Grenades / Heavy Pistol, AP CC Weapon. (0 | 12)
 KYTTÄ Flash Pulse / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 7)
 KYTTÄ Flash Pulse / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 7)
 FUZZBOT (Minesweeper, Repeater)  ( ) / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 8)
 LYNX (Specialist Operative) Plasma Carbine, D-Charges / Assault Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 29)

 4.5 SWC | 298 Points
Open in Infinity Army

I knew about the Tagmaa MSV sniper, a fair amount of impersonators and some ablative wounds on key-units, so the original plan was to grab some midfield-pieces, Bluecoats as corner guards and the really big guns. Having a Zeta somewhere on a roof could be a nice thing in this mission. Nevertheless, some discussion with W0rstC4se resulted in a mid-field heavy list and more glue-guns as you can imagine. The Sirius-teams should simply start on the roofs and shoot from that position, while the Gangbusters glue everything down on the way.Razor and Lynx as a back-up and early points somewhere, while the Epsilon could utilize the Varangians or the White Noise zones from the Cyberghost to hunt down whatever scary there may be.

QC Midfield
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GROUP 1  9  / 1  
 GREIF-OP  (Forward Deployment [+8"], Mimetism [-3]) Shock Marksman Rifle / Breaker Pistol(+1B), CC Weapon. (0 | 24)
 TAAGMA (Tri-Core) Breaker Combi Rifle, Nanopulser / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0.5 | 20)
 TAAGMA (Multispectral Visor L2) VIRAL Sniper Rifle ( ) / Pistol, CC Weapon. (1.5 | 24)
 KAELTAR  Light Shotgun, Flash Pulse, SymbioBomb ( | SymbioMate) / Pistol, PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 15)
 DRAAL (Minelayer) AP Marksman Rifle, D-Charges, Shock Mines / Viral Pistol, CC Weapon. (1 | 40)
 KIIUTAN Submachine Gun, E/Mitter, E/M Mines / Viral Pistol, CC Weapon. (1 | 28)
 CLIPSOS Boarding Shotgun, Shock Mines / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 24)
 JAAN STAAR Light Shotgun, Shock Mines / Viral Pistol(+1B), CC Weapon. (1 | 31)
 KRIIGEL (Lieutenant) Breaker Combi Rifle, Smoke Grenade Launcher, Pheroware Tactics: Eraser, Pheroware Tactics: Mirrorball / Viral Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 20)
 HELOT MILITIAMAN (Camouflage [1 Use]) Submachine Gun, Light Rocket Launcher / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0.5 | 9)

GROUP 21  
 KERAIL PRECEPTOR Submachine Gun, Smoke Grenades / Pistol, PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 24)
   SURDA SYMBIOBEAST Pulzar / Viral CC Weapon. (- | 8)
 TAAGMA Breaker Combi Rifle, Nanopulser / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 16)
 CHAKSA AUXILIAR FTO (Sensor, Baggage) Heavy Flamethrower(+1 Dam) ( ) / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 10)
 CHAKSA AUXILIAR FTO (Sensor, Baggage) Heavy Flamethrower(+1 Dam) ( ) / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 10)
 DIPLOMATIC  (CC Attack [-3], Specialist Operative]) Nanopulser, Flash Pulse, Pheroware Tactics: Eraser / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 5)

 5.5 SWC | 300 Points
Open in Infinity Army

The list takes everything you don't want to see in Quadrant Control. The backfield is secured by a Triad with the MSV Taagma and a Triad of Chaksas. A Draal can hunt down heavy targets, if necessary, but the Greif, Jaan Staar and the Clipsos, equipped by the Kiiutan can clear such things on their own, while they bring early and safe points in the far quadrants. The Surda beast on the other hand can rush easily into positions needed, once things go south. At least that is how I understand this vegetables.

You know this map from two previous reports. Both deployment zones have limited spaces for link-deployment and need to make some decisions about what to overwatch. The right side tends to be more open, while the left one has to deal with the long firelane in the center more often. Why I came up with three high buildings in the center for a map dedicated for Quadrant Control is a mystery now...

I loose te Lt-roll and get the first turn but can deploy second in the south - my favoured side for this match-up. We don't forget about the decompression-zones this time, as you can see in the image. Mine are placed more or less in positions to not limit my movement or burst towards the important places.

One Triad with three Krigels is deployed on the right building with a Draal MMR in front of it. One Krigel is looking suspicious into the long central firelane. The left side sees a Triad of Chacksas, a camo marker and a flash-diplomat. More centered a Kerail and his Beast start, next to a Kaeltar, equipping Jaan Staar with a Symbiobomb. He starts together with an impersonator in my left quadrant, prone on the roof of the high building.
My cheerleaders together with the Cyberghost hide on the left, defended by one Varangian. The second one takes the right side, preparing for the Epsilon. One Sirius-team takes the high building on my right with the bot on ground-level. To control Jaan Staar a bit, one Gangbuster starts next to that building, the other takes the right, sitting next to the mine of the Razor. My Lynx starts in HD on the far left.
The Greif starts in suppressive fire in the center, while I decide to go beyond him with my second Sirius-team on the far left.

O-12 1: Using the Sirius-bot on the left, White Noise is placed there to secure the path for the Sirius-team. Ignoring the Greif, I rush that team into the Chaksa-Triad, glueing one Chaksa and loosing the whole team, making it a quite bad trade. So I send the Varangian to clear that side, failing to CC the glued Chaksa and shooting the Kerail, but at least surviving with everything in LoF. The right Varangian enters suppressive fire to scare away some stuff in the mid of the right side, while the Kyttas advance into the quadrants.

Spiral 1: While the left Varangian is shot, he takes down the Kerail and the Diplomat successfully with the chain rifle. On the left the MSV Taagma discovers my mine, which then is used by the Helot to burn down my Gangbuster with his LRL. The Varangian is forced to dodge, so the Draal can kill him easily. Since an impersonator and Jaan Staar are not enough in my near left quadrant, a Clipsos appears on that building, too. The madtrap glues him there, completely unaccessable.

Three to one quadrant for Spiral: 2-0

O-12 2: Again things must work over the left side. The Kytta stuns a Chaksa out of the way and again with White Noise the Greif is blinded. Now the Lynx starts there, reaching the Triad and burning down a Chaksa and the Taagma, but not surviving the nanopulzar. Again nothing is won there. The Sirius on the right only sends the Helot prone, so the path there is still denied.

Spiral 2: With some orders, the Greif clears out the whole left flank, after which I call it, since there is nothing more to gain for me and it would be only shooting things down now.

With that, the game is lost 10-0. The Zeta-list would have been the better choice, since I could have changed much thinking about how to engage what target with which support to simply a big gun and heavy armor. The Taagma sniper would have been no issue for the HRMC, I guess and there would have been something to deal with the Draal. Well, at least I have learned something. I am not sure, how I could have made a better turn one, since the Chaksas were deployed exelently with no LoF longer than template range. Maybe simply using the Varangian would have been the deal here. If that flank could have been smoked, I could have drained the order pool and the control of the near quadrants, so that the operation-team on my rooftop would have been useless. Nevertheless MSP had a good plan suited for the map and mission well executed and it was a fun game. That I quit a game with O-12 wishing for all my DBS-tools was not imaginable for me, but man...Some hackers, some pitchers and a Clipper can solve so many problems.