Infinity/N4 Tactics/Invincible Army

The unit overview and tactica for Yu Jing's Invincible Army (WIP!)

Why play the Invincible Army

Because you love power armor.

The Invincible Army is Yu Jing's shiny and honourable yin to the Imperial Secret Service's dark and dreaded yang. Along with PanO's Military Orders, IA is the premiere heavy infantry sectorial in the game, with more of a ranged and command & control focus compared to their PanO brethren.

Play IA if you want to direct an elite team of professional, disciplined power-armored badasses with orders for days.

Faction features

• Suit Up: If you like Heavy Infantry, you're in the right place. This is the sectorial with the highest concentration of HI profiles in the game. You need something done? You've got an HI for the job.
• Come Together: Some of the most varied fireteam options in the game, with 10 (!) different wildcard options. Many of your guys and gals have plenty of loadouts to choose from (Zuyongs alone have 13).
• Army of Elites: We've got plenty of extra wounds and extra order-generating skills like NCO and Tactical Awareness, but in exchange most of the army's options are on the expensive side, and we lack any smoke, warbands or cheap skirmishers.

Special Skills

• NCO: You've got 4 fantastic options: Tai Sheng, Krit Kokram, the Mowang, and the Hac Tao. It's a great way to funnel your Daoying's LT2 orders into a linkteam or elite bruiser. Keep in mind your NCO does not have to be in the same combat group as your LT.
• Tactical Awareness: Both Shang Ji and Zuyong have a few loadouts with this rule, granting them an extra irregular order that they can spend on their fireteam if they're the Team Leader.
• No Wound Incapacitation: Plenty of models have this special rule, largely to keep points cost down. Note that if a 1 wound/NWI model takes a second wound they go straight to dead and are removed from the table, so doctors and paramedics lose some value, but they also don't leave a body for your opponent to score classified objectives on.

Weapons and Equipment

• Breaker Pistol: Haidao, Daoying, Zuyong and some of our characters pack them. A very decent weapon for hitting low-tech or sometimes heavily armoured targets.
• Tinbot: Firewall [-6]: A pretty important piece of tech for an army centered around hackable troops. This adorable little guy imposes a -6 WIP modifier to anybody trying to hack a member of a fireteam with an attached tinbot. If you ever run into Tohaa, be aware that this tinbot does affect their Pheroware. Keep in mind the tinbot model itself cannot be targeted or interacted with, and is effectively a fancy token.
• Power Armor: Besides granting many of our troops at least 3 ARM and the ability to take a second hit, power armor gives Zuyong, Shang Ji and most of our characters 6-2 move. This translates to faster movement whenever you do a Move + Short Skill, as well as a longer Cautious Move.
  • Mass-Production Armor: On the other hand, the cheaper nature of our HI often means that they're saddled with lower PH than most other HI.

Units

Unit Identifier Invincible Army

Light Infantry

• Zhanshi: The humble Zhanshi is mostly here to provide orders and be cheap link-filler. However the hacker can be a surprisingly strong threat when paired with a wildcard tinbot, and linked paramedics are pretty effective in N4 - you only need to succeed one PH save to be healed. Defensive cores with a Haidao MSV2 sniper or Son-Bae are really efficient, while linking the AP HMG tinbot Shang Ji provides both a tinbot and a big gun for clearing AROs. Don't forget that Zhanshi have a LT profile - while it pales in comparison to the Daoying, you may occasionally find a use for it.
  • Fireteams: Core

• Zhanshi Yisheng: Your only doctor. Very standard and not always necessary since a lot of your dudes have NWI. Might be more efficient to pack paramedics into your links. If you do take her, don't skimp on expenses and give her a Yaozao

• Mech-Engineers (Zhanshi Gongcheng): Our cheapest engineer. Pretty important when a big chunk of your army is allergic to E/M ammo, though you could also consider one of our fantastic wildcard options instead. If you take him, give him a Yaozao as well.

• Chief Mech-Engineer Chung-Hee Jeong: A new addition from the Betrayal manga. While he's pretty pricy for a 1W trooper at 29-30 pts, Chief Jeong packs a smorgasbord of custom gear and interesting utility. On top of bringing a WIP 14 engineer to any link, he's got the only K1 weapon in all of YJ (and his is Dam 14 to boot), and that profile is the only linkable profile in IA that can carry mines. The LRL profile carries a decent midrange weapon that hits like an HRL in his hands. But maybe most interesting is the fact that he carries a repeater, but is not hackable himself. That means he can walk into ZoC of enemy hackers with impunity, while your tinbotted hackers make short work of the opposition.
  • Fireteams: Wildcard

• Warcors, War Correspondents: 3pts for an irregular Flashpulse ARO. Fit them into your list whenever you got the slot and points, they're well worth it. The 360 visor Warcor is very useful to protect your DZ from enemy parachutists.

Medium Infantry

• Daoying Operative Control Unit: Arguably one of the best lieutenants in the game. Camo keeps her safe, while Lieutenant L2 lets you spend two extra orders on a beefy beatstick or a link through an NCO. The base LT loadout is the cheapest and is probably the best choice if you just want to power one of IA's fantastic NCO options. The Hacker profile is solid and can use those 2 LT orders for late game objective rushes. The sniper provides an easy solution to an exposed enemy TR bot and is one of the few minelayers in the sectorial.

• Lei Gong, Invincibles Lord of Thunder: An A! alumni, Lei Gong has a highly optimized set of stats and provides some unique utility to IA. In addition to being a wildcard, he's fast with 6-2 move, is an accurate BS13 MSV1 shooter, packs a Blitzen for long-range AROs or coordinated orders, is unhackable, and uniquely, has Albedo, meaning for the first round of the game, he is invisible to anybody with MSV. Both profiles are worth taking, with the SMR being a great budget shooter and the CoC a good specialist with WIP 14. Both are excellent in or out of a link.
  • Fireteams: Wildcard

Heavy Infantry

• Haidao Special Support Group: Naval HI, the Haidao pack a wide variety of skills and specialist options to round out your links. All of the specialist profiles are great and the MSV2 Sniper is a very strong ARO piece when linked. Be aware that Haidao are rather weedy for HI with PH11 and BTS0.
  • Fireteams: Wildcard

• Liu Xing Jump Infantry: Superhero landing! Effectively flying Zuyong, Liu Xing have the always-entertaining Combat Jump (Explosion) skill, allowing them do deal out a DAM 12 template to anything they land near on a pretty reliable 14. Once they land, don't underestimate the damage an effective 2W 6-2 move BS 13 model can do to a backline.

• Zuyong Invincibles, Terra-cotta Soldiers: Basic, no-frills HI. Zuyongs are the baseline of the Invincible Army: they are reliable, resilient and efficient (characteristics that they share with the sectorial as a whole). You can choose between 13 possible loadouts that cover everything from heavy weapons to specialists and fillers. Don't underestimate the B3 Breaker Pistols all Zuyong carry at close range.
  • Fireteams: Core, Haris and Duo
  • Tai Sheng, Zuyong Invincibles NCO: The queen of links, Tai Sheng brings NCO to your fireteam of choice, on top of being a WIP 14 specialist and one of the best marksmen in Yu Jing with BS14 and some decent guns. Her Breaker Combi profile is also a great choice for bringing a tinbot.
    • Fireteams: Wildcard
  • Krit Kokram, Zuyong Invincibles Specialist: Former badboy Krit Kokram is our cheapest linkable NCO and an engineer. His FTO profiles are excellent options to round out a link, but Krit's Forward Deployment [+8"] profile is also an incredible midfield toolbox. He can deploy with your choice of E/M mines or deployable repeater, and is a great midfield hunter with his Heavy Shotgun. Also notable for carrying three pistols.
    • Fireteams: Duo. His FTO profiles can wildcard.

• Captain Qiang Gao, Invincibles Officer: When he's not off tanking Shasvastii as part of the crew of the Defiance, Qiang Gao provides an un-isolatable Lieutenant L2 with a Dam 16 HMG. Like our other characters, he can wildcard into any of our links.
  • Fireteams: Wildcard

• Shang Ji Invincibles: Next-gen power armored line infantry, Shang Ji are excellent, albeit expensive units. Besides being faster than average, they pack some extra perks compared to other HI in the same bracket. They come with a variety of gunner and specialist options.
  • All hail our lord and saviour Shang Ji-sus. The Tactical Awareness/AP HMG/Tinbot: Firewall [-6] profile provides everything you'd want for a fireteam in a 49 point package. An extra order, a high-burst armor-piercing long-range gun, and a tinbot to keep your HI safe from hackers, this particular profile is a great addition to nearly any fireteam in the sectorial.
  • Fireteams: Core, Haris and Duo and Wildcard. Though they can form a Core, due to their cost, Shang Ji are usually more effective as a wildcard adding Tactical Awareness or a big gun to other fireteams

• Yan Huo Invincibles, Fire Support Heavy Regiment: Yan Huo are here to do one thing, and that one thing is fire superiority. Each Yan Huo is armed with weaponry that's only otherwise seen on TAGs. Take into account that although they are bigger than most horses and weigh more than a LI Core fireteam, these guys don't have any form of Courage, visual modifiers or special equipment. They are tough and they shoot a lot of rounds, but that's it. Thankfully, that's often enough.
  • Fireteams: Duo, Special Haris. Yan Huo form a Special Haris with a Zuyong. Expensive, but B5 MHMG/B3 Missile Launcher goes brrrrrr.

• Hac Tao Special Unit: Elite Thermo-optic Camouflage Heavy Infantry. In addition to being able to hidden deploy, Hac Tao pack a scary amount of 14s across their statline. Expensive, but avoid visors and keep'em safe in the reactive turn and they'll carry you far.

• Mowang Troops: "Walk softly and carry a big gun" -these guys, probably. Despite their bulk and toughness, Mowang Troops are stealthy NCO-driven bruisers. Mimetism (-3), 2 wounds + NWI and ARM 5 make them super tanky. Their weapons are optimized for softer targets, so aim for those.
  • Fireteams: Duo. Add a wildcard of choice to cover for their weaknesses, like someone with a template or a specialist for pushing buttons.

• Hulang Shocktroopers: Hulang are what you get when a monk decides to train a bunch of violent thugs and then sticks them in power armor: tough, hard-to-hit CC specialists with a scary array of short-range options. The Forward Deployment (+8") profiles give them a headstart on slicing through their opponents. Don't forget every profile is also a Specialist Operative and can accomplish mission objectives.
  • Fireteams: Duo. The FTO options are wildcards and can provide some CC to any link.

• Zhencha, Armored Reconnaissance Regiment: Our only Camo Infiltrators, these are effective 2 wound button pushers with Climbing Plus and close-range weaponry. They're here to do the mission and look sharp while doing it in their tactical ponchos, but in a pinch they make decent assassins.

TAGs

• Guijia Squadrons: For almost 20 years, the Guijia was the only TAG available to Yu Jing. Uninteresting and basic, N4 saw much needed upgrades with improved Martial Arts and Super Jump. This allows it to find unusual angles and move to places a TAG simply isn't intended to be; on top of buildings, in canals, landing onto balconies, etc. This allows it to find commanding positions to fight enemy troopers your opponent believed would be safe, such as prone on a rooftop. Just keep in mind an exposed TAG is catnip for missiles and anti-armor weapons; be sure to keep an order or two in your back pocket to pull its ass out of the line of fire.
  • Fireteams: Duo. The Guijia's got a plethora of great duo options among IA's wildcards. Add a repeater, tinbot or KHD to protect it from hackers, or hook up with one of our engineers for on-demand field repairs.

REM

• Yaokong Remotes: The standard array of S3 remotes.
  • Weibing: Sensor/Forward Observer Remote. Has a flash pulse, deactivator, and repeater all for a reasonable price. Fast no-frills specialist and a good option for discovering camo.
  • Husong: HMG Total Reaction Remote. ARO piece that can be buffed with Assisted Fire. Don't forget that with supportware it's a pretty solid active turn piece as well.
  • Son-Bae: Missile Launcher. Unlocks guided missile strats. It's a wildcard option in this sectorial and makes a cheap solid ARO piece when linked.
  • Chaiyi: Cheap regular order bot with mimetism, WIP13 flash pulse, and a repeater. Our cheapest regular order and a decent ARO.

• Yaoxie: Comes in two versions, both great.
  • Rui Shi: Fast and cost-efficient, the Rui Shi brings MSV2 and a spitfire, making it a fantastic attack piece. Lacks the smoke support of other YJ sectorials in IA, but still very strong. Keep in mind that if you're bringing an EVO bot, you can supportware the Rui Shi to an effective BS15.
  • Lu Duan: Holomask and Holoprojector make this S4 remote particularly tricky. Unlike most of our other REMs, the Lu Duan does not have a built-in repeater, instead carrying deployable repeaters and the minelaying skill to start with one of them in zone of control. The MK12 and heavy flamethrower (+1B) are solid weapons, and it's got MSV1 to shoot better against pesky MIM units. Keep in mind that in N4, this allows it to shoot and flamethrower through enemy smoke.

• Yaopu Pangguling: S4 baggage bots. EVO hacker, TR combi, plain baggage, and FTO light shotgun profiles. The EVO Hacker combines well with the Liu Xing, letting them drop on 17s and complements YJ's excellent attack bots. Fairy Dust may sometimes be worth considering if you're short on tinbots or choose to run solo units like the Zhencha Hacker. The FTO profile is a wildcard in IA and is a fantastic link-filler - it lowers costs, packs a template weapon, and carries an on-board repeater. Watch out for its rather large base making it tough to hide sometimes.
  • Fireteams: The FTO option is a wildcard.

• Yaozao: Lovable G: Servants.

Skirmishers

See: Zhencha

Warbands

Wishful thinking

Hints and Tactics

• Alpha Strike for Days: The Invincible Army is composed of highly-trained troops that make every single order count. You can squeeze 14-15 orders into a single combat group thanks to Tactical Awareness and Lt. L2 + NCO. Hit the enemy and hit them hard. You've got plenty of orders, so once you've done your damage, save some to pull back to a defensible position. Keep your NCOs and Tactical Awareness models safe and you can keep on trucking even after taking casualties.

• Bravo Team: With NCO and Tactical Awareness, you can easily get 6-7 orders out of only 3 models in your second combat group. Bring an NCO, a TacAware Zuyong or Shang Ji, and whatever else you need for the mission, and they can operate independently from your main combat group with an impressive amount of orders.

• Steel Rain: Bring the EVO Hacker Pangguling and max out your Liu Xing allotment. Activate Controlled Jump, then drop some precision guided ordnance on 17s and laugh. Ride of the Valkyries recommended.