Infinity N4 Faction Focus - Starmada

[@R0bertShepherd]

Today we're taking a look at O-12's first Sectorial, and the cause of a minor IP dispute between Corvus Belli and MJ12 Games because 'Starmada' is a cool but apparently easy-for-multiple-people-to-think-of name. Starmada are a faction that play the 'Generic Sectorial (tm)' list very well, but also have a surprising amount of flex beyond that, capable of building very solid layered defences and enjoying some of the best TAG and rapid offensive unit play in the game.

[@AraigumaTV]

Nice, perfect content just in time for late breakfast. Thank you ❤

[@bedwyr84]

Just in time to save my from my daughter's 9th birthday party.... HEEEEEELLLLP!!!

[@krobiekong4326]

Thank you for this! I am looking forward to your next N5 Speculation video with all the information that was released this week!

[@jacklenz1841]

I'm just jumping back into Infinity with the N5 news! Perfect timing I love your content and was going to start asking for an 0-12 or Starmada faction focus as that's what I play!

[@jar-jar1341]

Loved this video, I have a regular opponent that plays Starmada, and this helped me understand more about what makes them tick. On an unrelated note, I would love a faction focus on White Company, if you'd be willing.

[@R0bertShepherd]

I'll see if I can get to it before edition end :)

[@jar-jar1341]

@@R0bertShepherd completely understandable, no worries either way.

[@nnnnnccccc]

I love this faction because it has some yujing units in it, namely bixie! Listening to it right meow

[@BrandedAutumn]

Have been loving this faction focus series! As an 0-12/Starmada player myself I would love to get your ideas on vanilla O-12

[@R0bertShepherd]

I would like to do an O-12 faction focus but it's a tricky one to get to grips with - the original, unique O-12 units like the sirius team are all very fairly costed, so really maximising the faction involves a lot of grappling with that fairness.

[@czaroslaw77]

Kosmoflot next time? Please 🤗

[@janofe2232]

Only just got round to listening to this, and my do I feel vindicated. Everyone has looked at me funny for moaning about my Varangians in White Co. I had played the lovely cheap 9 pt ones in Kosmo, but really struggled to use the more expensive ones properly in White Co. (which I imagine fill a similar niche in Starmada) Now I'm very reserved with them. Usually they hunker down near my MSV pieces and I utilise their regular order elsewhere, or have them hunt down the odd fiday etc. thats too close for comfort. Definitely not the sort of disposable run forward and see what happens unit I was used to in Ariadna, and arguably one of the trickier warbands to get value out of.

[@patrikmansuri]

I am preparing my bad Fireteam change takes as we speak

[@R0bertShepherd]

@@patrikmansuri this is the way

[@Ninjat126]

Rob, I'm not a Starmada player but I think you're being a little harsh on the Bluecoat. CC 20 is *normally* pretty underwhelming, but the Bluecoat has NBW and imposes a -6 on opponent attacks. With those mods in play, not even Musashi's hitting you on 20s. The Bluecoat's true nemesis is the almighty Dog, because Immunity (Total) on Duroc or a Bearpode will completely ignore all his Para ammunition.

[@R0bertShepherd]

So I sort of touched on this when talking about the bluecoat, but it's important to reinforce how a profile like it works: it's got big 'do not touch' energy against enemy melee *experts*, but the absence of a positive modifier to the Bluecoat's own CC roll makes him much less able to successfully punch down against enemy models with weaker CC - that is to say, he's an anti-specialist CC model, not a CC expert himself. And this is kind of an issue because being an anti-specialist CC model is *nice*, but it's one of the most niche roles you can have in the game, especially given the best CC troops tend to be good because they have tools that let them pick and choose their targets. This makes the Bluecoat an able obstacle but rarely a true counter. Now, happily, at 13pts that's totally fine. He's barely more than any of your 12pt link starters, costs no SWC, and at that price point you don't need to get high performance out of him every game. But I absolutely would not reach toward any of the more expensive profiles (in N4, at least) because at that point the value proposition does become much weaker.

[@Ninjat126]

Absolutely agree with your overall assessment, and I'm still speaking from a pure theory sense. Mostly I'm thinking a Bluecoat would be really nasty against some profiles I like: Fiday, Carmen, Speculo Killers, Khawarij, Jaan Staar, Nahab. As you said, not much out there wants to make a save at PH-6.

[@R0bertShepherd]

@@Ninjat126 yup, those are all excellent examples of where the bluecoat excels. :)