Don't panic, police is on the way! [Starmada vs. CA]

 

After nearly three months, the last IGIL-round started. With only one victory for me, chances of ending on the last ranks were quite high, so I hoped for a good match-up in this last round. I was quite surprised to get Surmelk as my opponent, but was very glad to finally have the opportunity to face him after orbiting each other since ENTE in last summer. It was well planned to take Starmada for this mission, since what could be a better use for a linked Hector than clearing a room with his plasma-rifle?

 
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GROUP 1  10  / 1
 VARANGIAN Submachine Gun, Chain Rifle, Smoke Grenades / Heavy Pistol, AP CC Weapon. (0 | 12)
 BETATROOPER (Killer Hacking Device) Submachine Gun, Nanopulser(+1B) ( ) / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 33)
 HECTOR (Lieutenant [+1 Order]) Plasma Rifle, Nanopulser, Grenades ( | TinBot: Firewall [-3]) / Heavy Pistol, EXP CC Weapon. (0 | 69)
 TIAN GǑU 1st Section Boarding Shotgun, Grenades, Jammer / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 23)
 CHO (Chain of Command) Combi Rifle, Nanopulser / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 20)
 PSI-COp (Multispectral Visor L1) Nanopulser(+1B), MULTI Marksman Rifle ( ) / Heavy Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 25)
 NYOKA Heavy Rocket Launcher, Chain-colt / Pistol, Shock CC Weapon. (1 | 19)
 NYOKA Heavy Rocket Launcher, Chain-colt / Pistol, Shock CC Weapon. (1 | 19)
 OKO Combi Rifle, Flash Pulse / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 16)
 RAPTOR (Hacker, Killer Hacking Device) MULTI Rifle, Light Flamethrower ( ) / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 42)
   DEVABOT Heavy Flamethrower / PARA CC Weapon(-6). (0 | 5)

GROUP 21
 WARCOR (360º Visor) Flash Pulse ( ) / Stun Pistol, PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 3)
 KYTTÄ Flash Pulse / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 7)
 VARANGIAN Submachine Gun, Chain Rifle, Smoke Grenades / Heavy Pistol, AP CC Weapon. (0 | 12)

 2 SWC | 300 Points
Open in Infinity Army


There were several iterations of this list in the planning-process with this destilled one finally used. Always set were the Raptor KHD to secure the room with cybermask and NCO and heavy on points and Hector in a small core-link with a Tian Gao jammer. Plasma for the room, a jammer to stop things from entering it. Here a HD Psi Cop should spice the link and increase the defensive potential of the constellation. To not get overrun that fast, a Peeler should sit on one antenna and two HRL Nyokas in a haris together with the feared MMR Psi Cop should secure the midfield. Everything else was there for orders and utility, as always.

 Shasvastii Expeditionary Force
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GROUP 1  9  / 2  / 1
 SPHINX Spitfire, Heavy Flamethrower(+1B) / DA CC Weapon. (2 | 93)
   SCINDRON Flash Pulse / CC Weapon. (0 | 0)
 NOCTIFER Combi Rifle / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 24)
 NOCTIFER Combi Rifle / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 24)
 CALIBAN (Engineer, Deactivator) Submachine Gun, Pulzar, D-Charges ( | GizmoKit) / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 28)
 SLAVE DRONE PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 3)
 IKADRON (Baggage, Repeater) Light Flamethrower(+1B), Flash Pulse / Pistol, PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 9)
 IKADRON (Baggage, Repeater) Light Flamethrower(+1B), Flash Pulse / Pistol, PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 9)
 R-DRONE Flash Pulse / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 7)
 SHROUDED Boarding Shotgun, Shock Mines / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 22)
 MENTOR (Lieutenant) Boarding Shotgun / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 23)
 TAIGHA Chain-colt / DA CC Weapon. (0 | 6)

GROUP 24
 NOCTIFER Missile Launcher / Assault Pistol, CC Weapon. (1.5 | 32)
 TAIGHA Chain-colt / AP + Shock CC Weapon. (0 | 5)
 TAIGHA Chain-colt / AP + Shock CC Weapon. (0 | 5)
 TAIGHA Chain-colt / AP + Shock CC Weapon. (0 | 5)
 TAIGHA Chain-colt / AP + Shock CC Weapon. (0 | 5)

 3.5 SWC | 300 Points
Open in Infinity Army

A full second group of pure distraction and annoiance is paired with some utility and a big hammer in group one. While the Taighas clear and secure the midfield, one Noctifer each turn can secure the room as headquarter troop, followed by the Mentor in turn three. On the outside the Sphinx terrorizes everything walking towards the room. If it gets down, the Caliban is there to get it back in the game.

 

The map for this round was provided by TJE, who gratefully forgot about the smaller DZs in this mission, leaving a total mess on both sides regarding deployment. The left had some longer fire-lanes, while the right was heavily obstructed for some close-range action. There were several nice ARO-spots on the containers, but most of the stuff put on there would die soon.

Surmelk wins the Lt-roll and let me deploy first in the south, while I go for the second turn, trusting on Hector and his plasma-gun.

The Hector-link together with the Peeler start on the left, since I can advance covered most of the time, while the other haris takes the right side. I need to clump my KHD Raptor in the center with good access to the room and shuffle my other units wherever possible in cover, only overwatching my half of the table.

Five camo-markers start in the center, one with a slave-drone on it. A TO-unit infiltrates directly in front of the room and five Taighas also start in the center. They are reinforced by two Ikadrons and an R-drone.

Hector and my Raptor are deployed as described before and a big TO-marker appears on the right side.

CA 1: I restrict Surmelk for only one CT this turn, which may appear as an old Biotechvore-habit, not useful for panic-room. All Taighas advance, also the markers does and the TO enters the room. Now the Sphinx approaches my haris, but first shredding Cho. In a rage, the Psi Cop then crits two wounds on the TAG (remembering the Moderator and my Crusher...) forcing it to retreat. On this way, Hector gets wounded by it and the Oko is shot. Some orders are left to further advance the Taighas into the center. As the biotech-zone strikes, the Sphinx falls unconscious and maybe one Ikadron.

Starmada 1: One Varangian clears the room and dies in return. While the Raptor advances, a Noctifer appears but failing to wound him. Here I had fallen to a decoy and calculated the models on the table wrong. While entering the room, some more Taighas are cleared but one is left in CC with him inside the room. On the left the haris advances a bit to make sure nothing is going to repair the Sphinx. My Warcor is eaten by nanobees.

CA 2: After scoring with the Raptor, the Taigha eats him in CC and a new marker is thrown into the room. The other orders are used to let the slave drone sneak a shadowy path towards the Sphinx and finally reaching it and bringing it back.

Starmada 2: After surviving one crit from the Sphinx, the Psi Cop MMR takes a second one and dies. Also the Varangian guard burns to death before reaching the TAG. My core-team can avoid the Noctifer ML and shove the Beta into the room, clearing the last Taigha. An intuitive Jam against the marker in the room fails. Somehow I am outscored in the room, so there needs to be a second marker also in the room at this point.

CA 3: Ignoring the serious damages, the Sphinx starts a new rampage, clearing both Nyokas, then the Beta with one shot, followed by Hector through the room, who failed to dodge a single time. Also the BSG from the Tian Gao fails to down it, while the bearer dies. 

Starmada 3: In LoL with only the Peeler left, things are done.

I loose 7-3 here with some luck here and there and a terrible revenge of a to early killed Sphinx. The performance in turn one was terrible and the false estimation of the biotech-zone was really bad, but the high effort to bring it back in turn 2 saved Surmelk the game here. After the Psi Cop could not manage to get it killed, my tools to remove such a unit were gone. Here I finally decided to never again leave the house without the Epsilon HMG. Even if there isn't always a target needing the MSV 2, most of the time the points are invested properly here. Besides that, Surmelk did a great shell-game with his markers, a great mess with all these Taighas and some brave decisions. On my side I am really satisfied with the Raptor here, since the Devabots are very useful, the multirifle also and the combination of 6-2 movement and the marker-state of the KHD is real gold.
One word needs to be said to the haris-team: The Psi Cop is that scary and potent as everyone says, since it is a well rounded toolbox and once it gets B4 in the haris, you can wipe out most things in the late game with it. Most of the time at least. Screening him with one or two Nyoka HRLs at least is cheap and possible. You always have SWC unused in Starmada and the HRL is quite cheap, so the link is created on the way. Nevertheless Nyokas lack some mimetism or better BS for their points, even with C+. So I am still not a big fan of them regarding their performance, but they are a nice tool if you want to include more of the expensive stuff Starmada offers and still want to have some scattered utility