Infinity Torchlight Brigade - Hot Take & Profile Analysis

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Today we talk about the new Torchlight Brigade, Infinity's newest sectorial.
0:00 - Who are Torchlight Brigade and how do they play?
7:48 - Sectorial Charts and troops inherited from O-12
12:11 - Torchlight Medium Infantry
23:12 - Torchlight Heavy Infantry
40:56 - Torchlight TAG
55:39 - Torchlight REMs and conclusion

[@R0bertShepherd]

Torchlight Brigade has now been almost-fully revealed by Corvus Belli, which means it's time to dig too greedily and too deep into these new ultramarine-coloured heavy infantry heroes. How do they play? What are the standouts? Is a Strider really just two libertos in a trenchcoat?

[@Xagroth]

Strider? You mean Captain Enoch? He's a Sombra with top gear! As for the Jackboots, do not disregard them too soon, they have access to one of the few linkable long range ARO weapons of the sectorial, I think.

[@R0bertShepherd]

@@Xagroth the 22pt HRL Jackboot has some appeal but it's competed with very strongly by the 25pt FTO Stormbot (which has higher BS, more damage and a whole extra wound) and potentially the 34pt Rover Missile Launcher (which gains pure link bonuses but at 34pts thanks to Tactical Awareness is getting very pricey for what it does if you run it just as an ARO piece).

[@Xagroth]

@@R0bertShepherdThe Rover ML slip my sight entirely, I thought they had no long range weapons; also I tend to go for pure cores as much as possible (not at all for Haris), but I agree those 13pts won't justify the downgrade just for Total Immunity (-1BS, -1PH, -1 wound, -3 BTS...) unless the idea is for a non-hackable Haris.

[@Naim_less]

You had me at Space Marines, and you sold me with: "What if Invincible Army, but good?"

[@Griffolion0]

"They are a dormant project fed with reserve funds." So, literally The Division.

[@frankwashburn6680]

Nimrod was a biblical hunter. When Bugs Bunny called Elmer Fudd "Nimrod" - he was doing so sarcastically, like you might call a stupid person "Einstein." But misunderstanding has resulted in "Nimrod" =/= "Dumb person."

[@obyiscushobbyandgaming]

Came here to say this. It's one of my favorite weird factoid about pop culture changing the meaning of words

[@AraigumaTV]

As a nomad player, I hope they remember to replace the Kriza's Mimetism with BS Attack(-3). Full Auto was my favourite ability.

[@R0bertShepherd]

Surely it's time for the Kriza to get his groove back. Surely. (Please give the Kriza his groove back CB)

[@AquilaGuard]

This is an excellent review. 10/10. I look forward to your thoughts on the sectorial after you get a few games in.

[@Ravanstrike2009]

Also new tier list confirmed 🎉 Woot!

[@Ravanstrike2009]

Yessssss!!! 🎉🎉🎉 Love to see your long form content. It's always interesting and has great insights ❤ So excited

[@user-bm3ts2ql6s]

As someone who loves 40K aesthetics but hates the way 40K plays and hates GW even more, this is f’n perfect bro

[@bostria]

As much as the fanbase can have expectation for the themed weeks I do have expectation for reviews like this one.

[@chrishoj5277]

Both MO and IA player here. Yes. I will buy these.

[@user-bm3ts2ql6s]

Looks like the emperor is going to be starting his crusade soon

[@spartacusjsmith]

The MO IA comment is exactly what I was thinking nailed it

[@CyrilPoirey]

Couldn't agree more with your opinion about each profil !

[@tzwennetv8678]

Great Video, thanks for the Work you Put in

[@originalusername4142]

It’s really funny watching this video and, on top of some new ideas/takes, basically hearing my entire take on the faction repeated back to me despite not seeing it so much in even the O-12 discord chat. I think I may have watched too many videos on this channel and they affected the way I think about the game..…………………… I’m okay with that.

[@Ravanstrike2009]

Also this content is amazing. Would love to see it for other sectorials like Stewl Phalanx or hassasins

[@R0bertShepherd]

I could actually do that at some point. Interesting thought.

[@EAfirstlast]

I would love this for some aleph stuff since your community doesn't really seem to play them, so I never get your thoughts on em@@R0bertShepherd

[@LARPBeard]

That’s a very nice rundown of the profiles. The only thing I dislike is Samus most likely not being available in any other faction other then O12, would be so much fun to proxy!

[@N4Redeemer]

loved the review we'll see how tough the ultramarines are when we face them UwU

[@sebbychou]

I'm gonna take those nimrod comments very personally. You broke my heart

[@RattlerNxt]

Your points about the aesthetic commentary is on-point. It’s going to help bring more players in.

[@burlesford]

As always, I appreciate your analysis and insight, as well as the level-headedness. I was/am one of those people that called powercreep on a lot of those profiles, so it's interesting to hear a much more moderate take on them. I do feel though that some comparisons (while being the enemy of joy) with existing units raise some eyebrows. You mentioned the Kriza-Prime comparison, which leaves me speechless about how the Prime could have all this gear AND be cheaper than a Kriza. Similar to the Wrecker, who just outperforms the Shakush in anything except BS and, again, is cheaper. You also mentioned yourself how the Strider is just better and cheaper than the Zhensha (both internally and in the context of the faction) - which to me simply sounds unfair. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.

[@R0bertShepherd]

So the Zencha is pretty hard done by here but the Kriza vs Silverstar Prime comparison is quite a good one, because to compare them we also need to compare the context they exist in. The Silverstar is absolutely a better overall piece than the Kriza (even with the Kriza's native high burst) but it exists in a more limited faction - vanilla nomads and even Tunguska have a plethora of options around things like network projection and warband models and proper main battle TAGs. If anything it's really the Szalamandra that does the Kriza in, because she is a super efficient platform that frees up a lot of troop slots for stuff like Morlocks (in vanilla) and Zellenkreigers (in tunguska). This sort of comparison exists a lot in Infinity, where something like the Silverstar Prime is more powerful than a Kriza, without making Torchlight Brigade more powerful than vanilla nomads (although that fight could potentially be quite close depending on how the two players leverage their strengths).

[@willfriedman5783]

Would love to hear your take on Zhencha - the camo climbing plus always does work for me.

[@R0bertShepherd]

The main thing about the Zencha compared to the Strider is that that it's eye-wateringly more expensive for generally worse performance. A forward observer Zencha that wants access to a template clocks in at 37pts whereas a Strider with a similar loadout is a whopping 6pts cheaper, and has a much better armament (LSG+1B is outstanding) and has NCO (in a faction with a 2-order Lt), and has mines. On top of that, the Strider is a Veteran rather than Spec Trained troop which really matters in some cases. The Zencha does have climbing plus (which is nice) and has access to a hacker profile (albeit very expensive) but the Strider is the clear winner for me in the comparison off the back of NCO + Cheaper + etc.

[@willfriedman5783]

Thanks for the reply. I just love the camo state climbing. Can really sneak past defenses in the right circumstances. I’m toying with a list with 3 daoyings and 4 zhencha lol😂

[@robertsmall8919]

I compare the Stormbot to a Rudra, and do not get me wrong I like the Rudra as it is a swiss army knife with the K1 marksmen, heavy pistol and mine dispensers for 38 points. I am fine with it sort of. In vanilla O-12 the storm bot will be crazy with rem racers (want to be bs 14 or how about damage 15 on your blast mode). I see some play with the storm bot in a mobility link or in a silverstar haris with a Hellblazer acting as the compulsory for the link then you can put in the kappa or raven eye and save yourself some points. We could see Stormbots trickle into Starmada but I do not think that will happen, Rudra is not in Steel though the Vostok was put into every Nomad force. My main complaint with the rems in torchlight is the first S2 midfield camo rem and the first rem which is base bs 13 are both in there and not Aleph, I play Aleph so you can totally say tough luck AI.

[@R0bertShepherd]

It's tricky these days to see what will end up translating from a new sectorial back to vanilla, but Vanilla O-12 with Roadbots, Moonrakers and Stormbots has some really cool mechanised REM potential. Just don't try to play Evacuation with that list.

[@robertsmall8919]

@@R0bertShepherd Tell me about it, I had to play that at low points with no links as a Aleph player. Rems cannot grab the people and frenzy has issues to, there goes 3/4 my units right there.

[@galigen5511]

The HI really aren't for me but I might pick up some of the medium infantry if I can get them as singles just cause they look pretty cool Might proxy them or might just collect them

[@iamnerd69]

Mixed metal and siocast models turned me away from buying, but I will play my IA as Torchlight, easy proxies with zhencha, yan huo and zuyong.

[@bedwyr84]

Woot! 🍿🍿🍿

[@bedwyr84]

So, you're saying this faction can play a little like my whiteco but with 2 wounds AND be good guys? Oh well, guess I'm in...

[@Naim_less]

I would have loved to seen what list you're planning to run for the game you've got coming up.

[@R0bertShepherd]

Tentatively this - it's hitting all the starter box high notes, although given my druthers I'd be running two Silverstar Prime haris teams or something similar: Combat group 1 (9 regular 1 irregular 3 tac aware 1 NCO) Hellblazer LSG Flammenspeer 18pts Hellblazer LSG Flammenspeer 18pts Waverider KHD 22pts Silverstar Tac Aware HMG 37pts 1.5 SWC Silverstar Tac Aware Firewall 32pts Silverstar Prime 53pts 1.5 SWC (1 if Lt) (LT option 2) Kappa SMG HD 12pts 0.5SWC Vidocq Doctor 23pts Kytta flashbot 7pts Warcor 3pts Combat group 2 (5 regular) Moonraker Minelayer 16pts 0.5 SWC Moonraker Minelayer 16pts 0.5 SWC Raveneye 12pts (LT option 1) Ment Agent Light Shotgun COC 15pts Digger 14pts 298pts 4.5SWC (leaving a few points fat in case some profiles change)

[@Naim_less]

@@R0bertShepherd Yeah I like it!

[@robertsmall8919]

I am watching this in segments on a tv between painting so this might get a little choppy with my comments and responses. I have made 4 lists, I find it rather dull but strong as far as list go unless you want to use 2 Wreckers or 2 Primes. Rover are also courage and bts 6 where the zuyong has no courage and bts 3. You can tell me courage does not matter, I do not agree but meh it is a whatever. The 3 points of BTS is huge especially with a tinbot taking them to a 9. I hate the Hellblazers, I compare them to Teutonic Knights but as counts towards composition bonus. Tanko works but works for comparisons. I agree it is about the context of giving and receiving support in this faction Hellblazers shine and I wish they did not. 2 in a core, 1 in a haris that would be how I spend my 3 and it is about 30 points of savings thru the army.

[@R0bertShepherd]

Courage is definitely a useful skill, although it increases in value the more you actually need something to hold their ground. On models like Rovers it's strictly nice to have, but definitely a plus on the profile.

[@robertsmall8919]

@@R0bertShepherd I agree but I know some who do not rate it highly or only like it on cheap models. I think it is great given what a rover is.

[@ArexG]

MO player who wished their faction didn't suck 😂 oof that hit close to home

[@Ravanstrike2009]

Just better MO x3

[@R0bertShepherd]

@@Ravanstrike2009 Military Orders high watermark firepower and some of their very best pieces are genuinely better than the equivalents in Torchlight, but that 14-17pt bracket in Torchlight just blows MO out of the water.

[@johnharris7426]

I take it the Silverstar Prime having the omission of the (Silverstar) is assumed as an error?

[@R0bertShepherd]

No, it's almost certainly intentional. The Silverstar Prime having full core link bonuses would make it the strongest gunfighter in the entire game.

[@johnharris7426]

Wish they just called it a Prime then. Infinity can be difficult on remembering/getting the rules right without things like that.

[@snarkymcsnarkface1863]

Unless you like tohaa... then CB just discontinues the whole thing... ugh... so glad I have mine.

[@R0bertShepherd]

Given how successful the Happy Days promotion was, I wouldn't discount the possibility of Tohaa becoming available in a similar way some time in future. We know CB still have the moulds and production capacity.

[@ExtraCarnex]

Nimrod was a biblical great hunter but bugs bunny called elmer fudd the name sarcastically which is why it has a negative conotation these days but if you are aping the biblical version it would make sense to call this MSV sniper unit Nimrod.

[@bedwyr84]

Cool! T.I.L. this

[@festmkiv]

"Torchlight is for you if you're a Military Orders or Invincible Army player and wished they didn't suck" - Sadness :(

[@R0bertShepherd]

The comment was tongue in cheeky and for entertainment purposes... mostly.

[@festmkiv]

Well you're not wrong... I'm playing OSS and Hassasins now, it's quite novel having more than 1 way to build a list.

[@KevnKalifornia]

I only ever knew Nimrod as an insult, another word for a dork or a dweeb. But apparently, in the Bible, it states that Nimrod was "a mighty hunter"

[@BigCatPiranha]

Bugs bunny was sarcastically calling Elmer Fudd a "mighty hunter"

[@Todo_2912]

why do I get the democratic urge to paint them in a helldiver color scheme

[@R0bertShepherd]

It's what Super Earth wants, Citizen.

[@Todo_2912]

@@R0bertShepherd already ordered, will be painted in my semester break. *Salutes in FREEDOM*

[@frankwashburn6680]

Rob I respect you enormously but you're doing the "X faction is only capable of [y monobuild with confessed limited caveat] , ergo their weaknesses stem solely from choosing to make both of your tournament lists emblematic of that monobuild, as if that were ever something an experienced tournament player would ever do" again

[@frankwashburn6680]

like, you know how you don't always need to take a Noctifer to get the benefits of one? That by coming to the table, telling your opponent that you're running a faction that can bring Noctifers, you can affect their deployment, list choice, etc? You can do the exact same thing with IA! "I'm facing off against Nomads, CA, and Aleph - they'll probably bring a list variant that has hacking and repeaters - maybe I can design a list that leverages that expectation?"

[@R0bertShepherd]

@@frankwashburn6680 I've seen invincible army run very well especially in some events that are a bit further back in the depths of history, and from memory someone told me they picked up an IGL win recently, but I stand by my statement that they're one of the factions most constrained by their weaknesses. Breaking them out of their mould is more difficult even than it is for Military Orders - it's not impossible to build an Invincible Army list that doesn't telegraph some weaknesses, but it's very difficult.