Dropzone Commander: The Commanders, Part III
4 Minute Read
Nov 6 2014
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We’re back with more Dropzone Commander, continuing our look at the Commanders of each race!
Today we will be discussing the Post-Human Republic and the Shaltari Tribes. Let’s get to it!
The Post-Human Republic
The soldiers of the PHR are known for being incredibly resilient and packing a scary amount of quality firepower. The Zeus Type-II Command Walker meets both of these criteria.
The Zeus sports Armor 10, 2 Damage Points, and a ludicrous 3+ Passive Save. All of these things combine to make him incredibly hard to kill. Tack on an Energy 11 Railgun, and you have one seriously nasty Commander. He can tank tons of incoming shots, while shunting the damage away to his squad mates when things get too hot. He gets even better when you consider the fact that he opens up more squads of the juicy Type-II walkers by essentially converting their Type to Command. Add in a devastating Command Deck and you have one bad dude.
The Zeus’s biggest weakness is his speed. With limited Scout options, it can be difficult to get that Sphere of Influence into the right place at the right time. It is therefore vital that the PHR players gets his Scouts into position quickly, to ensure that the Commander can utilize his devastating Command Deck.
With that segue, it is important to note that no discussion of PHR Commanders would be complete without discussing their Deck. This faction has some incredibly high-powered cards, including options that stop an opposing squad from moving, turn off their Countermeasures, or even force their weapons to target their own side! This Deck is probably the best in the game, as it contains a ton of versatile cards for the bad situations you may find yourself in.
Shaltari Tribes
The Shaltari Coyote fulfills the role of Commander amongst this alien faction. This model ranks along with the PHR Commander in terms of resilience, and is a truly tough model to bring down.
The Coyote brings Armor 9 with 4 Damage Points and a 4+ Passive Save. Couple this with a Dreamsnare and he becomes exceptionally hard to dislodge. Add to this his decent movement speed and the Shaltari ability to teleport around the field, and you’re looking at one pesky general. He also sports two Energy 10 cannons, giving him considerable offensive power. Finally, he comes with an ejection system that gives him a very reliable chance to survive the Coyote’s destruction; this leaves your Initiative Roll and Command Deck hand size untouched.
If I had to pick a significant weakness for this Commander, I would call out his points cost. The Coyote is hugely expensive, so you definitely pay for his survivability. He is also prone to being overwhelmed by double-damage shots. These aren’t always difficult to achieve when his Armor 9 is taken into account. Shaltari Scouts are limited to the humble Yari, which serves admirably but is also incredibly expensive. The Coyote must strike a fine line between working at the absolute frontline and remaining intact.
The Command Deck of the Shaltari is based on deception, much as the general approach of the Shaltari themselves. With abilities that teleport squads in and out of buildings, and cards that affect the flow of the enemy’s activations, the Shaltari Deck is very much oriented around influencing the pace of battle and retention of initiative. Used correctly, it will allow you to get into (or out of) positions in ways the opponent may not see coming. It is all about what is not apparent, here!
Next week we will conclude our discussion of the Commanders with the Resistance, who were lucky enough to draw two Command vehicles of their own. Stay tuned as we finish up this section of articles. There is plenty more to come!
Which Commander unit do you like best? Leave your thoughts and battlefield victories/woes in the comments below!
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Author: Randall Madden
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