Tuesday 25 June 2019

League of Assassins- Strategy and Equipment

Following up from the previous Brave and the Bold post, this is just to add to previous posts about their respective crews and have them more completed. Without further ado, let's jump in!

Strategy- Indomitable Will
This strategy is only a situational take, but when it matters it's a great help. Any time willpower rolls on henchmen will be an issue (Joker Gas Canisters, Hypnotise in general) the extra +2 can be a huge boon that helps prevent bad things happening to your crew (and in turn hurts the opponent) although for 2 Strategy Points it gets a bit expensive. Offset by most League Leader models having Strategist, but still expensive nonetheless. 

Equipment
As befitting of a primarily melee crew, their Equipment list is tailored towards buffing the henchmen to attack. Similar to Court of Owls in this regard, although in a different way given the differences between their henchmen.
Magazine is fairly standard, 0-2 $200 for +1 ammo. Great on the special arrow options and on smoke grenades, not useful anywhere else.
Loyalty Tattoo is $200 to give a model Bodyguard. Chuck this on Goro for a really great front line piece that can do everything, it's good value.
Climbing Claws for $100 is an ok choice compared to the later Grapple-Gun, but at the same time it's not hugely useful with sewers and grapple anyway. 
Trained in the Shadows will almost always be taken in a League crew. 0-1 and $300, it gives Hidden which is a huge bonus in reactive play, but also in setting up further up the table.
Gas Mask is the same deal as Brave and the Bold in that it isn't always useful, but it costs even more here. $150 vs $100, it is even less worth taking for that reason.
Grapple-Gun at $400 is certainly expensive, but the bonus it gives is great. Definitely worth the take.
Combat Bracers is 0-2, giving models Defensive for $150. Good take on objective sitters, as they can reliably block more with it, and it's not a bad option to take, especially in a crew with such abundant funding.
Venom Dose for $100 should always go into the crew. Even though they all have rerolls to wound normally, the +1 strength is a very good bump in damage capability and cannot be missed. I personally put it on Damian (or Ichi if I don't take Damian) and I never regret it.
Precise Orders gives the Chain of Command trait for $150. This is the only place Chain of Command exists in the entire game, and it is basically a much worse version of Hidden Boss. A henchman (2VP on kill) becoming a Leader (6VP on kill) after a Leader has already died is a huge loss, and the gain from it is negligible. I would never take it.
Ra's al Ghul
Ancient Weapon for $150 and 1 rep is a good piece of equipment on certain models, and crap on others. 0-2, it adds Bleed:1 to a model's close combat weapons, and being a crit (and thus 1/6 chance) you want it on things that have boosted crits. Hassassin 4 (being the only one without Bleed:1 natively) is a great take for this with his 4+ crit, while Goro rolling 2 crit die is another that is worthwhile. Otherwise I wouldn't take it, and I'd go for any number of other equipment instead. 
Talia al Ghul
Shadow Training is a 0-1 $200 piece of equipment granting Undercover. Slightly more expensive than the BatB version, but at the same time League can hold back models a lot easier with access to Hidden and Undercover. 
Cheshire
Poison Training gives a model Poison Master for $50, which is great and cheap. Usually going to go on Hassassin 1 as he has native Poison, it synergises well with Cheshire for the extra damage and makes it punishing to be poisoned. 
Lady Shiva
Unarmed Combat Training would be good, giving Close Combat Master for $150, but nothing in League has good enough unarmed melee to justify it. Everything is wielding good melee weapons and everything does single stun, so it's not justifiable. It's ok on Tyrone, but I'd rather take Hassassins instead of him in League anyway. Shiva is also Eternal, so not really going to be seen often, and even there you don't have an option that is worth taking this on. 
Nyssa al Ghul
Bow Training gives a model Shooter for $100. This is great on all the ranged options in League, but Nyssa is Eternal and won't be taken very often going forward (plus she isn't that good). 
Traditional Way is a $0 option for Arkham Knight Nyssa only (who hasn't been released, but is pictured in the quick start rules in Batboxes) and changes the crew composition. It stops you choosing models with Firearms or Beams, but instead unlocks the following options:
0-2 Bow for $150 is a steal. It's a great 2 ammo ranged weapon, but Aim has to be considered as well (you won't just be using these to move and shoot as you advance) 
0-2 Katana is the standard weapon in League, but costing $100 and 5 rep to take it has a steeper cost. This will mostly just go on the models with Bows normally, and is a great way to keep them useful when they get engaged or just run out of ammo. 

2 comments:

  1. Mercenary 2 could be a good option for Unarmed Combat Training.

    I wonder if the Bane strategy refers to the character or the band. If it's the character, i guess you can take that strategy when Bane DKR is your LoA's leader.

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    1. That is very true, I missed that with Mercenary 2 (I was in the mindset of League-only henchman and prisoners, and honestly forgot the Mercenaries). At least it has a use, and a quite decent one at that, even though it's stuck behind some more expensive options
      All strategies trigger off crew or Boss, so because Bane is the Boss in the crew, he is able to take Titan Canister Located (which I'm covering in my Bane overviews currently being written- you beat me to it!)

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