Editing Infinity/N4 Tactics/General (section)

==Metagame Advice==

* '''Specialists - Love the FO:''' So one particular thing is that only specialists can interact with generic objectives and only specific specialists with specific objectives. This is important because its possible to table a player in the final turn and lose because they scored objectives and you just wasted time killing shit. This means playing the scenario takes priority over just killing shit and because of this you need to have a few specialists in your list. Chain of Command, Hacker, Doctor, Engineer are fine except they often cost a premium in points or charge you precious SWC, the Forward Observer on the other hand frequently comes as a variant of the base version of a unit with no cost or a very minor increase which means you should have at least 1 in a list with one other type of specialist. 
**In N4, most (but not all) Forward Observers have a flashpulse that, while non-lethal, has better range than a rifle and uses their (generally higher) WIP stat. The tradeoff is that this merely stuns the model for the rest of the current player turn, meaning they cannot make attacks (including attack-labeled declarations such as pushing buttons), while performing face-to-face rolls at -3. Do note that Technical Weapons such as the flashpulse no longer benefit from fireteam bonuses. 

* '''Paramedics - Not Just The Inferior Choice:''' Paramedics got better in N4. Now the check to save a patient is only the target's flat PH - they make for better link filler than Forward Observers for a modest points increase. Keep this in mind if you're running high PH models or can't spare a decent doctor for a link. 

* '''TAGs define their matchups:''' This one is simple; if you don't have anti-TAG options built into your list you won't beat TAGs. TAGs are a tradeoff, they cost a lot and draw lots of fire, but are tough and can take out whole teams if they positioned poorly. TAGs can be beaten by other TAGs, but infantry need Adhesive launchers, hacking, panzerfausts, heavy rocket launchers or really high strength AP+EXP weapons to break TAGs. Because you can't guarantee that you won't bump into a Cutter or Avatar, anticipate a TAG list or be prepared to concede.
**'''N4 Note:''' Now more than ever, TAGs are appealing due to their various buffs and cost rebalances. You no longer can let TAG defense go by the wayside and hope they 'make the mistake of bringing a giant tableweight'. Make sure you have two ways to deal with a TAG, because most TAGs got more teeth or got much easier to bring. 

* '''Orders equal actions:''' Basically it's important to have order monkeys or cheerleaders; units that are cheap and provide orders for good units to use for multiple activations. Losing cheerleaders means reducing the amount of actions you can use in a turn, which leads to your units doing all the work being less effective. So always have a nice blob of orders on the table in the form of a few cheap regular units. Don't take many Irregulars unless they have Impetuous or other ways to be action efficient. By the same token if you get the opportunity to wipe your opponent's cheerleaders early, take it because its a very difficult position to play from. This is doubly important for Rambo builds with TAGs because hitting the order pool before going after the TAG restricts its ability to back out of crossfire traps. A good recommendation is to have 8+ Regular Orders in your order pool when starting out. Some factions get good filler units, like 4 point Netrods for Aleph, which are an excellent way to squeeze more orders into a list.
** '''N4 Note:''' Remember, your order pool caps at 15 orders as of ITS 12. Elites are back in style, most high-armor units received cost reductions, and maybe it's not such a good idea to stack 4 Ghazi anymore. Plan accordingly and balance your cheap troops with strong elites.

* '''Hacking with a purpose:''' Don't just throw hackers into a list if you aren't Nomads or Aleph. Hackers are versatile, but having a hacker should be for a reason, such as fielding/buffing remotes or dealing with HI/TAGs. In some cases, such as Myrmidons, Ekdromoi, Ninja, and Aragoto, the hacker is the only specialist profile on a troop that can deliver itself to an objective.  Hacking is a good way to disrupt an opponent's game plan, so be prepared to face it, especially when playing Nomads as they have some of the most powerful hackers. Also keep an eye for units with high BTS values, eg -6. Having a few hardened units can make a difference against someone with multiple hackers.

* '''Sectorials are a tradeoff:''' After the release of Sectorial lists the meta has been abuzz with sectorials with a lot of players neglecting vanilla lists for sectorials to use the Link Team rules. Link teams are very good, this isn't in doubt, but what is overlooked is that vanilla lists have a huge amount of diversity while sectorials run from being just a trimmed down selection with link teams (Neoterran, Qapu Kalqhi) to being tightly restricted and unable to cover some key factors (Military Orders, Hassassins and JSA).

* '''Recreations are targets:''' A number of factions have basically artificially vat grown cyborg/androids modelled on famous historical figures, called Recreations. These are pretty powerful units and are also common choices for Lieutenants, with some being pretty much mandatory for Lt. When your opponent sees you have Saladin in your foam box, they're going to start planning to make a beeline for him, even if its just a Hazfa you deploy as Saladin, players who have had their ass handed to them by a recreation are going to make killing it ASAP a priority.

* '''Have 2 plans:''' Build a list so that you have a rock solid Plan A and a Plan B that can work if it fails. Have a strong Link team of 5 elite units, but have linkable order monkeys with HMGs who can form their own link and brandish Sixth Sense boosted HMGs should your main link get cutdown. Hackers are a decent Plan B because you only need 1 with  decent willpower and BTS to start crippling vulnerable HI or Remotes.

* '''Remotes are an option, now more than ever:''' Remotes are cheap and efficient options - they no longer mandate a hacker or TAG to bring along. Their main tradeoff nowdays is whether someone is less specialized - flashpulse bots aren't as popular with the 15 order limit unless points are extremely tight, but the Rui Shi is as powerful as ever. Vanilla Aleph for example can get around their premium pricing by using Dakini TactBots as their cheap Order Monkeys and can use Garuda TactBots for cheap disposable Airborne Deployment units instead of paying for the elite & expensive Ekdromoi. Remotes still produce orders and can shoot things, though they may not count for much in terms of objectives, they can fill holes and let you use them as disposable units compared to more precious models. With the advent of hacking supportware, many remotes become far more dangerous.