Infinity/N3 Tactics/Yu Jing

The unit overview and tactica for Yu Jing

Why play Yu Jing

You’re a dirty weaboo.

Yu Jing is the "other" hi-tech Hyperpower, but where PanOceania focuses in one thing (shooting), Yu Jing has a lot more variety. Yu Jing focus is versatile Heavy Infantry supplemented by cheap orders from Zhanshi and Kuang-Shi. And unlike PanO, they don't shy away from using some "low-tech" tricks like smoke or exploding units. Also everyone knows Kung Fu, because you're the Chinese Empire IN SPACE.

• UPRISING: The Japanese dogs have openly rebelled against the unity of the Yu Jing State Empire. For selfish glory, they sent our peaceful hyper power into civil war.

Faction features

Flexibility and Synergy

You may, glancing at the stats of various units, come to the conclusion that Yu Jing units are a bit… well, crap. The fairly ubiquitous Hsien HMG is BS14 and is equipped with a MSV2 for 61 points. Its Pan-O counterpart, the Aquila, has +1 BS, -1 WIP, with MSV3, shock CCW (instead of AP) and exactly the same other stats for just 1 point more.

What isn’t immediately obvious is that the Hsien has a lot of “tricks” it can play with. For one, Yu Jing has access to smoke, which can allow for powerful combos. Furthermore, the Hsien has Martial Arts. It’s not particularly useful for actually getting into close combat, but MA confers Stealth, meaning the Hsien can avoid pesky hackers trying to ARO hack while out of line-of-sight that the Aquila couldn’t.

So while many Yu Jing units aren’t as straightforward or as strong as their Pan-O counterparts, they usually have good flexibility that a sharp player can use to his advantage.

Special Skills

Martial Arts: While Yu Jing units run the gamut of special rules, Martial Arts is fairly common on a lot of important units. While actually using Martial Arts is sometimes of dubious value, any level of MA provides two very useful features: Valor: Courage, and Stealth. The former means your troops stay where they are even under fire and the latter gives you some positional control as well as deny close AROs.

"The Dreaded YJ CC tax": The tears from YJ players complaining about this feeds the economy of Pan-O. A fair number of Yu Jing units have an above average CC stat. The problem, of course, is that not only does this bump up the cost of the unit, but that melee is unreliable, inefficient, generally rare and risky. It's less of an issue on more expensive units that could conceivably get into close combat, but it's most problematic on cheap line infantry, where that +1 point cost adds up. Because of this "tax" you will see many vanilla lists use Keisotsu instead of Zhanshi, or have a strong preference for using Kuang Shi.

Weapons and Equipment

Yu Jing has a very wide selection of weapons and equipment, from high-tech thermo-optic camouflage to low-tech explosive collared prisoners. While they don’t have ample access to some of the more exclusive tech, Yu Jing typically has some solution to most problems.

Of note is the focus on Heavy Infantry. Yu Jing’s HI run from versatile and solid (Zuyong Invincible and Wu ming), to armored samurai (Domaru, Haramaki), to powerful and specialized (Imperial Agents, Hac Tao, Daofei), to outrageous and awesome (Su Jian and Yan Huo). Deciding which ones, if any, you wish to take is an important consideration when building a list.

Units

Light Infantry

Your order supply, Line Infantry are the unloved cheerleaders. In Yu Jing they’re doubly unloved. Save points where you can, because your Heavy Infantry are going to be expensive.

• Zhanshi: Oh, the poor Zhanshi. You’re not as good a shot as a Fusilier but cost a point more. You’ve got (almost) the same statline as an Alguacil, but still cost a point more. And that +1CC? Useless, since Zhanshi have a PH of 10 and thus deal less damage in CC with their knife than with a pistol. Zhanshi are there to provide orders, maybe hide a lieutenant, and not much else.

• Keisotsu Butai: Possibly the worst line infantry in the game, the saving grace of the Keisotsu is that they’re cheap. The 10 point FO option makes for a bargain-bin specialist in a pinch, but don’t expect them to live very long.
  • Gui Feng, Yuriko Oda: As with most Dire Foes characters, Yuriko’s useful. She’s a solid engineer (and a suitable replacement for the Gongcheng and Kohei) that can carry a panzerfaust. Don’t be fooled by her model, though; keep her well away from any close quarters combat.
• Tokusetsu Butai, Eisei and Kohei: Conversely, the Tokusetsu doctor and engineer are both useful due to an acceptable WIP 13 at a cheap 14 points. In other words, they’re a point cheaper than their Zhanshi counterparts (the Yisheng and Gongcheng), for the same WIP.

• Celestial Guard: Now we start getting to the good stuff. CG are your typical elite LI with pretty average shooting ability, but that’s not why you take them (in vanilla, at least). You take them for two reasons: 1) WIP 14 means they’re fairly competent lieutenants and hackers (it’s only +2 points to move from a WIP 13 Zhanshi hacker to a WIP 14 CG hacker, with ancillary benefits as well), and 2) well, she deserves her own heading:
  • Celestial Guard with Kuang Shi Control Device: This (purple) pig-tailed girl is the crux to many lists. First, she carries a light smoke grenade launcher, which is the only regular order smoke in the vanilla army (unless you want to go up to Kitsune, but that’s a whole other story). Secondly, taking her allows your list to include Kuang Shi.

• Kuang Shi: Other armies would kill for a 5 point REGULAR order V:dogged chain-rifle zombie. They provide orders, they can dodge, they trade against almost everything, and when the going gets tough, they hug the enemy and explode. Deploy them carefully, however, as they are also extremely impetuous and thus can’t take cover and have predictable movement.

• Bao Troops, Judicial Watch Unit: The Secret Police. Bao are there to kick in doors and stop shenanigans. While the Multi-Spectral Visor level 2 with Multi-Sniper Rifle profile may seem tempting to those who wished Yu Jing had a Nisse, it’s a bit of a red herring. Without any defensive mods, middling BS, and low ARM, the Bao won’t stand long against much punishment. Instead, take advantage of its 4-4 move, suppressive fire and wide array of shotgun profiles to make camouflaged infiltrators wished they hadn’t.

• Aragoto Sekenbutai: So I heard you liked Akira? Impetuous 8-6 on a silhouette 4 model means that it’s possible to get these bikes into the opponent’s deployment zone in 3 or 4 orders. They rely heavily on mimetism to survive and they can hit very hard for a relatively cheap price, but don’t expect them to last very long. Live fast, die early.
  • Asuka Kisagari, Aragoto Sekenbutai Jun-I: Asuka can be deadly… if she survives long enough to get within close enough range with her assault pistol or light flamethrower.

• Kempeitai: Of dubious value in Vanilla, though they can make for respectable, cheap corner guards.

• Imperial Agent, Pheasant Rank: The much maligned Pheasant has gotten a little better in HSN3, but not enough for most people to take. The chain of command profiles can be worthwhile if they are used aggressively, but they are less useful in vanilla as they can't be linked and could potentially be killed off on the same turn as the lieutenant they were meant to replace.

• Zhangying Imperial Agent: Sixth Sense level 2 missile launcher? Yes please. Also one of only 3 sensor units in your army, and can take MadTraps alongside a breaker rifle to become an effective doorkicker.

• Gui Feng, Xi Zhuang: Xi Zhuang brings quite a lot for his 20pts. He's only armed with a Combi Rifle+LFT -so very short ranged-, but he's a WIP14 Forward Observer which also makes him a very good Flash Pulser in ARO. He's got Shock Immunity, so Marksmanship L1 and Shock ammo will not insta-kill him, and has the Number 2 rule which only works in a fireteam. However, Xi Zhuang also brings a pair of Madtraps which offers a lot of board control, especially with other troopers with Madtraps.

Medium Infantry

Yu Jing Medium Infantry are typically asymmetrical problem solvers rather than solid shooty infantry between lights and heavies. Oh, and aside from Armand, YJ only has 3 MI.

• Raiden Seibutai: They only have one trick (due to Limited Camouflage), but it’s a good trick. The Heavy Rocket Launcher profile is a standout, offering fire templates that are at +0 up to 48” away for a reasonable cost. The Raiden HRL also has Minelayer for extra deployment zone security.

• Tiger Soldiers: Yu Jing’s only drop troop is pretty good. Tiger Soldiers are often argued as the best AD Drop troop in game because of their great BS13, WIP14, and a decent PH12. Also Mimetism will allow them to survive decently well - stacking negative modifiers on your enemies' BS attack. Don't forget about the MULTI Sniper Rifle profile - it's a pretty unique profile among drop troops and may prove a useful surprise. Walk on from a board edge and shoot your opponent from unexpected angles across the map.

• Sun Tze v.2 (Marksman Leader): Just… just take v.1 if you want Sun Tze at all.

• Daoying Operative Control Unit: One of the best additions post-Uprising, the Daoying is arguably one of the best lieutenants in the game, with the Hacker Lt. L2 profile being the standout. She's a got a specialist profile, marker state to keep her safe, and 2 lieutenant orders to spend on supportware + recamoing, feeding one of YJ's excellent NCOs, or fuelling a lategame objective run. Don't forget that ITS 11 gives her Forward Deployment L1 due to being MI.

Heavy Infantry

Oh yes. Now this is why you’re here. You’re spoilt for choice, but be careful to not go overboard. HI are expensive and they need orders. At 300 points you may find that 2 to 3 HI is a good number to reach; any more starts to seriously cut into point and order efficiency.

• Domaru Butai: Samurai Infantry. While they lack the powerful links of JSA, a single Domaru in vanilla can still do a great job of protecting your backline. Remember that he can cancel his Impetuous move if he does Frenzy. Also don’t forget about his E/M grenades.
  • Domaru Takeshi “Neko” Oyama: CC24, PH14 MA3 Berserk Dual Wield AP+EXP CCW is a terrifying prospect, though he’s very order hungry.

• Daofei Tactical Section: Camouflage Infiltration Heavy Infantry. That camo marker in the mid field may be a mine, may be a Guilang, or may be a BS13, PH14, ARM4, 2W heavy infantry that will be a bitch to remove. The assault hacking device profile has great synergy with the most popular Guilang profile (FO + deployable repeater).

• Hac Tao Special Unit: Thermo-optic Camouflage Heavy Infantry. If your opponent doesn’t have visors (though you should probably assume he does), the Hac Tao is very bad news. Very expensive, the Hac Tao is the equivalent of a Swiss Guard, but with slightly worse shooting. Fear not, however, as the Hac Tao comes with a nanopulser (useful for dealing with pesky impetuous troops coming around corners) as well as YJ’s general access to smoke and mid-field shenanigans.

• Haramaki Zensenbutai: You’re probably much less likely to take Haramaki in vanilla, with the lack of links denying one of the unit’s greatest strengths (links covering for that extremely impetuous).

• Hsien Warriors: BS14 MSV2 heavy infantry. Popular, solid and simple to use. Works great with smoke.

• Imperial Agent, Crane Rank: Your Swiss army knife. Cranes are good at solving problems, particularly the non-SWC versions. Camo shenanigans? Sensor. Soft target far away out in the open? X-visor+shock ammo. Hard target in cover very far away? Triangulated Fire + AP ammo. Silly skirmishers trying to rush you? Dual nanopulsers or CC22, MA3 DA CCW.

• Karakuri: Terminators. Effectively 3 wound HI that hit hard and are hard to kill. Expensive, but they offer quite a lot of killy in one package. Topped off with Forward Observer on all profiles.

• Shikami: SUPER SAMURAI. ODD on a CC23 MA3 Dual Wield AP+DA CCW heavy infantry that can also super-jump and (super) climb… and is also a specialist? It’s just like in my animes!

• Shang Ji Invincibles: Shang Ji are sort of in a weird place. They’re sort of like a slightly more elite Zuyong but they lack the uniqueness that really give them a place. Since HSN3 they’ve also lost their normal hacking device, so they can be hard to justify. The light flamethrower on a lot of their profiles can be quite useful, however, especially against ODD heavy lists.

• Sun Tze: The most obvious lieutenant of all time (“Why, yes, I successfully rolled a 17 for WIP”), he’s also a very solid, if expensive, heavy infantry choice. Mimetism + 2W + NWI + 4ARM makes him very hardy, and WIP 17 + flash pulse is just hilarious.

• Su Jian Immediate Action Unit: Tiger Transformer. With BS14 spitfire or heavy shotgun, 8-inch cautious movement, free transformation between his forms, effectively 4 wounds (on ARM5) that can be readily healed, the Su Jian is no joke. Do note that although he has Ghost: Remote Presence, he counts as HI so he doesn’t benefit from Hacker REM programs.

• Wu Ming Assault Corps: Wu Ming are ISS’ HI link, but choice profiles may be useful in vanilla as well. Inexpensive, pack some interesting weapon combos and have Fireteam: Duo if you want to commit to that.

• Yan Huo: slow HI with either Multi-HMG, dual Missile Launchers, or a Hyper Rapid Magnetic Cannon. The HRMC profile will kill almost anything in active turn dead, but the Yan Huo’s slow ass movement means that deployment is key. In fact, board control is an important aspect of the Yan Huo as many opponents will not want to be anywhere near its LoF. The neurocinetic twin missile profile makes a potent and tough, if expensive, ARO piece.

• Zuyong Invincible: Solid, relatively cheap HI. They’ll probably be pretty good when linked in their upcoming sectorial (Soon™). They’re no frills BS 13 HI, with slightly worse stats than most other factions’ HI, but at a cheaper price and with a wide variety of equipment options. The Zuyong HMG lieutenant (automedikit) is a popular choice due to the SWC reduction. They also come with a pair of breaker pistols, so popping around corners is not much of a problem for these HMGs as they might be with other units.

Tactical Armoured Gear

Yu Jing gets the two TAG options:

• Guijia Squadron: Bog standard Multi-HMG, heavy flamethrower TAG that’s not too great in close combat. A solid, fast shooting platform, but you’ll need to leverage its 6-4 movement and 8 ARM in order to justify the points increase from a Yan Huo. Don't forget that as of Season 11, it now has Tactical Awareness, Fatality l1, and a DA CCW! This makes it a far more attractive option than before.
  • Guijia Pilot: The cute Guijia Pilot is armed with a LFT and Pistol. She's also a WIP13 Specialist Operative.

• O-Yoroi Kidobutai: A TAG, now with Martial Arts. Just like my animes. Don’t be fooled by the EXP CCW and Martial Arts. The real treasure is using the O-Yoroi’s 6-4 move and Stealth to sneak up on the enemy backline, and CrazyKoalas can defend against close range attackers.
  • O-Yoroi Pilot: The O-Yoroi is manned by a cute pilot armed with a Contender at BS11 and a Forward Observer at WIP13. Additionally the CC21 and Martial Arts L1 carries over from the TAG.

Remotes

YJ remotes are very useful in plugging up some badly leaking holes.

• Chaiyi Yaokong: Cheap regular order bot with mimetism, WIP13 flash pulse, and sniffer.
• Husong Yaokong: HMG Total Reaction Remote. A solid, efficient ARO piece in an army with pretty poor ARO options.
• Son-Bae Yaokong: Smart missile launcher. Less useful in as aggressive an army as Yu Jing, as it eats into that precious order pool, but has some synergy with a few units (Zuyong FO is WIP 13, Guilang FO is WIP 14). Also makes a decent ARO turret if given supportware.
• Weibing Yaokong: Sensor/Forward Observer Remote. Has deactivator, sat-lock, and repeater all for a reasonable price. Consider it if you’re taking some sniffers.
• Yaopu Pangguling: Baggage Remote. Minesweeper, EVO Hacker and TR Combi profiles. EVO Hacker comes with a big list of bonuses. One even allows for crazy Shikami or Domaru duos, but they’re of dubious quality.
• Yaoxie Lu Duan: S4 Holoprojector L2, MSV1, Mk12, heavy flamethrower. These offer a big punch for a relatively modest price
• Yaoxie Rui Shi: 6-4 MSV2 spitfire REM for 20 points. One of the best pieces in the army. Combine with Assist Fire hacking program for cover/camo-ignoring shock spitfire. Carries a repeater as an added bonus
• Yaozao: lovable G: Servants.

Skirmishers

Yu Jing has a solid lineup of skirmishers, which offer much needed mid-field support

• Guilang Skirmishers: One of the most efficient units in the army. Camo infiltration on a regular order unit is a solid base. MSV1 means it can deal with cheap infiltrator units. And WIP 14 means that it’s a solid hacker or forward observer.

• Kanren Counter-Insurgency Group: Holoprojector Forward Deployment Level 2 means this is one of the few units in your army that can safely survive to engage in close combat. Generally good for mid-field shenanigans, it can pack a sniffer (for your sensor pals), a killer hacking device (to counter those pesky camo infiltrating AHD units), or just be a general FO himself.

• Ninjas: A rather niche unit that performs poorly if used like a conventional TO camo infiltrator. Only one profile really worth talking about here, and that's the killer hacker. Relatively cheap thanks to a lack of guns, it is most useful in hidden deployment near places where enemies are likely to go. Once they get close you can reveal to engage them in CC or simply explode their brain if they are a hacker. Don't try to shoot anything. Seriously, I know they're hit at -6 but don't even try it.

• Oniwaban: Slightly better than Ninjas due to superior CC skills and the inclusion of a boarding shotgun and nanopulser, but if you’re already spending extra points on one you might as well get…

• Oniwaban Shinobu Kitsune: Smoke grenades improve the chance that Kitsune can make it to close combat, even after being revealed. If she can, Burst 2 (using MA4) on CC25 monofilament has a fair chance of killing anything it hits. That being said, 47 points is a lot of points for a very risky strategy.

Warbands

• Shaolin Warrior Monks: Only one real option here, and that’s the 5-point chain rifle profile. These guys are here to provide smoke (PH13 is not terrible) and be disposable chain rifle missiles.

Building Your Army

YJ’s better picks tend to be spread out across quite a few boxes, so it can get pricey.

The current Yu Jing starter box is a bit old and not particularly fantastic in either models or profiles. The upcoming starter that also came with the Red Veil box gets you a Hsien HMG, Zuyong Combi, Tiger Assault Hacking Device, and 3 Zhanshi, which is a solid start. The Celestial Guard and Kuang Shi box are both good choices, as are the various HI blisters of your liking.

Hints and Strategies

First, and most importantly: Melee is, usually, a suboptimal strategy. It’s order hungry, it puts your units in danger, and can be unreliable due to (generally) low burst. Melee is better used as a threat, in that opponents may think twice before running around a corner into a CC 24+6 AP+EXP samurai cat-person. Melee HI units also make good cheerleader bodyguards, as camo infiltrating/impersonation baddies save the HI unit the trouble of walking across the board to poke them in the face.

Similarly, don’t take too many HI. They’re expensive and eat into order efficiency; no matter how elite a unit is, it can only be in one place at one time, and only generates a single order. 2 to 3 is usually a good spot, allowing you to leverage the power of YJ HI without overly taxing your order economy.

As with most strategies, it’s a good idea to try to take mid-field control by the end of turn 1; for Yu Jing this often means aggressive HI pushes supplemented by Guilang, Daofei, Hac Tao and Ninja distractions. Powerful Rambo units like the Su Jian, Karakuri, Shikami, or Hsien can be tip the balance early on, but be prepared when they fall; unlike some armies you often can’t rely on your light infantry to be a secondary game plan.

Thanks to your Imperial Secret Service units, Yu Jing has fairly good anti-camo coverage. You have 3 sensor options: the Weibing remote, the Zhangying, and the Crane, all of which are useful. Note that the Crane will auto-discover camo within its zone of control when it uses Sensor. Once uncovered, Yu Jing has plenty of MSV2 units to prosecute those poor units.

Don’t forget about remotes! Vanilla Yu Jing, generally, has bad or inefficient ARO options. A TR bot is something that can be dealt with, but is still a useful speed bump. Likewise, the Rui Shi is a powerful unit. Do keep in mind that its fat ass can’t fit into most doors, so now and again a Bao may be useful.

It’s also generally a good idea to bring smoke, as it’s one of the few toys that both synergize well with visor units and provides cover for your aggressive units.