The Book of Microcorp Agents

[dnutt99]

The Book of Microcorp Agents

Jandar's Oath - Collection 3 - "Kilts and Commandos"

If you cannot see the Army Card graphic, check Hasbro's Unit Page for stats and special powers, plus "character biography" and other non-game unit info.

Character Bio: Relying on their advanced technology rather than brute strength, Microcorp Agents combine technology with relentless training
in order to infiltrate and neutralize key positions. Not only do their weapons have superior range, they are also much more effective when firing
from a greater height. But that¹s only part of the story. The Agents wear special suits that allow them to glide easily through the water and
provides extra protection in that environment. The suit is also equipped with Stealth Armor ability, enabling the Microcorp Agents to dodge
attacks. (Hasbro)
_________________________________________________________________
-Rulings and Clarifications-

• - STEALTH ARMOR 15 : Defending Against Inflicted Wounds
  Can the Microcorp Agents use Stealth Armor 15 to try to stop passing swipes and falling damage?
  Yes, any time a Microcorp Agent receives one or more wounds, you can attempt to use Stealth Armor 15. (Hasbro FAQ)
  
  - STEALTH ARMOR 15 : Defending Against ‘Destroying’ Powers
  Can Stealth Armor 15 help against Grimnak's Chomp or things like Massive Curse?
  Only when they receive a wound, not when they are "destroyed" or "removed from the game". (Hasbro FAQ)

_________________________________________________________________
-Combinations and Synergies-

Synergy Benefits Received

• - LAGLOR : Vydar’s Range Enhancement Aura
  As Vydar units with a range greater than 4, Microcorp Agents may benefit from Laglor’s VYDAR’S RANGE ENHANCEMENT AURA.
  
  - AGENT SKAHEN : Cover fire
  As a tricky Vydar unit, Microcorp Agents benefit from Agent Skahen's COVER FIRE.

Synergy Benefits Offered

• - N/A

C3V and SoV Custom Synergies

Spoiler Alert!

Synergy Benefits Offered

Synergy Benefits Received

ELARIA THE PALE : QUEEN OF THIEVES
As a Tricky figure, Microcorp Agents may benefit from Elaria the Pale's 20-sided die enhancement.

_________________________________________________________________
-Strategy, Tactics and Tips-

Strategy Notes:

• - The Microcorp Agents are a common squad that is drafted often. These guys are very strong and tough to kill, especially
  on a board with high elevation & water. Make sure to sit them on height so you can start picking off enemies with 2 extra
  attack dice (1 die for Height Advantage + 1 die for their Sighting special ability). Their Stealth Armor 15 can potentially
  protect them against ANY wound; that includes falling damage, normal and special attacks, & leaving engagement attacks,
  so don't be afraid to throw these guys up on the front line. (Hasbro FAQ)

Who is affected by Microcorp Agent's Special Powers?

• - Stealth Armor 15: Only the Microcorp Agents
  - Water Suits: Only the Microcorp Agents
  - Sighting: Any figure that is one or more levels below the Microcorp Agents and within range
  (Hasbro FAQ)

Who else could I draft with Microcorp Agents?

• - Agent Carr
  Agent Carr is a good hero to draft with the Microcorp Agents because he can run ahead and engage enemies while the
  Microcorp start picking them off from height. However, any strong Hero will do well. If they are going to engage multiple
  figures, they will need to be able to take a few hits and survive to tell the tale. (Hasbro FAQ)
  
  - Tarn Viking Warriors
  The Tarn Viking Warriors are good for the same reason. They are a cheap squad that can move quickly (with their
  Berserker Charge) to engage opponent's figures while the Microcorp Agents target them with their ranged attack.
  (Hasbro FAQ)
  
  - Omnicron Snipers
  The Omnicron Snipers are great with the Microcorp Agents because they can stay on height with the Agents in front of them.
  This way, the Microcorp Agents can protect the Snipers from getting engaged with an opponent's figure since they are
  more durable with their Stealth Armor. (Hasbro FAQ)

Who do Microcorp Agents work well against?

• - Any Squad Figures
  The Microcorp Agents work great against slow squad figures. They can pick them off while they approach, before they can
  even think of attacking. (Hasbro FAQ)
  
  - Figures With Counterstrike
  The Microcorp Agents also work well against figures with Counter Strike, as long as they are not engaged with them! They can
  hopefully get a few hits in on Charos or pick off a few Izumi Samurai from a distance without the fear of getting destroyed
  by Counter Strike.
  
  If they become engaged, fear not! Their Stealth Armor 15 will afford them some protection against the potential damage from
  Counter Strike. However, if they are not on height, they will only attack with 2 attack dice, and will not cause much damage.
  Do whatever you can to keep them on height. (Hasbro FAQ)

_________________________________________________________________
-Heroscapers Community Contributions-

Power Ranking and Master Index

Originally Posted by MKSentinel

Power Ranking
Microcorp Agents- With height, a horde of Microcorp can kill just about anything. Without height, they’re worse than most ranged squads. B-

Threads

Microcorp Agents
Stealth Armor Vs. What? http://heroscapers.com/community/showthread.php?t=38
Vs. DW8K? http://heroscapers.com/community/showthread.php?t=1446
Vs. Deadeye Dan? http://heroscapers.com/community/showthread.php?t=1705
Excellent Microcorp Primer  http://www.heroscapers.com/community...345&highlight=

Unit Strategy Review

• - TBA

[MKSentinel]

Hey all, don't want to steal thunder from the books here, but as I have yet to see my precious Microcorp Agents listed and a search for threads resulted primarily in discussions on what Stealth Armor worked against, I figured I would start a diatribe about why I love these guys so much.

First of all, I'll touch on Defense. A 3 Defense defends pretty decently against a 3 or lower attack. Anything above that develops a pretty nice probability to hit. Add in the Stealth Armor and you have an additional 30% chance to stop wounds from coming.

Let's look at Stealth Armor:
"When a Microcorp Agent recieves one or more wounds, before removing that agent, roll the 20-sided die. If you roll a 15 or higher, ignore any wounds."

At first glance this seems to be a great ability to block standard attacks. Well...it is, but it also blocks damage from a lot of things you don't normally get defense against...LIKE:

Falling Damage (but not extreme fall, since there is no damage dealt).
Lava Field Damage (but not Molten Lava since there is no damage dealt).
Counterstrike (where you would normally not have a defense roll)
Leaving Engagement Damage (normally no defense roll)
Deadeye Dan's Ullar Enhanced Rifle Special Attack (the d20 is not a defense die)
Deathwalker 7000's Self-Destruct (even though no attack is rolled)
Jotun's Throw
Kee-Mo-Shee's Toxic Skin (deals wounds)
Me-Burq-Sa's Paralyzing Stare
Nikita Agent's Engagement Strike


What it doesn't work against abilities that do not deal damage LIKE:
Extreme Fall (no damage is dealt)
Molten Lava (no damage is dealt)
Braxas Poisonous Acid Breath (no damage is dealt)[NOTE THAT SHE CAN STILL SHOOT YOU EVEN WHEN SHE IS ENGAGED]
Chomp (no damage is dealt)
Helm Of Mitonsoul Aura

That's a lot of extra defense, and unlike the Parmenio/Sacred Band Combo there are no adjacency requirments. Dissappearing Ninja requires an attack (and a normal one at that). Smoke Powder also requires an attack.

Note that Microcorp Agents other ability, Water Suits, grants the unit a +2 Defense while in water (plus the ability to move freely through water):

"Microcorp Agents do not have to stop their movement when entering a water space. Add 2 to a Microcorp Agent's defense while he is on a water space."

To fully appreciate this ability in relation to the unit we must also look at their key offensive ability, Sighting:

"When a Microcorp Agent is attacking with a height advantage, he rolls an additional attack die."

SO, do you head for the water for an additional defense, or head to the hills for 2 additional attack and 1 additional defense. I will argue that with the Stealth Armor ability and the fact that attack die manage to make more of a difference probability wise than defense die, ALWAYS head to higher ground over base camping in water...

...Unless you can find a water space on higher ground (water falls or beauties like this: http://www.heroscapers.com/community...ight=microcorp)

Higher ground with no other factors gives the agents 4 attack and 4 defense. Water still leaves you with a 2 attack and a slightly better 5 defense. Pretty much a no-brainer.

As far as strategy goes, the microcorp are a common squad, but expensive and only fields 3 members. Unlike the Nakita Agents, you can field multiple microcorp agents. I recommend 2 squads for a decent build if not simply to take advantage of the common squad rules.

Being agents and tricky, there are no abilities that benefit them by unit or personality. However, following Vydar grants them synergy with Laglor.

Laglor's ability to grant +2 range to the Agents if they remain within 4 clear site spaces is extremely helpful. 9 range is only outdone naturally by Deadeye Dan (and you have some protection from Dan with the Stealth Armor). Laglor is a good addition to any Microcorp build.

You may want to consider figures like Deathreavers to tie up close combat threats or potential instant killers like Braxas or Grimnak. Sacrifice the Reavers to these one-turn killers giving time for the Agents to blast them from the safety of 9 spaces away.

Figures that cannot be targeted or are difficult to target with range are also a pain:

Krav Maga Agents (one shield blocks all damage from non-adjacent figures)
Zombies of Morindan (Due to limited, shieldable target area)
Sgt. Drake Alexander (Cannot be attacked unless adjacent or special attack)
Nakita Agents (Make themselves and all adjacent figures untargetable with 13+ on d20)

Laglor will have no problem dealing with Drake and the Zombies can be thwarted by eliminating their shield. Your only true annoyances are the Krav and Nakita.

Stout, quick ground troops could be a possible solution.

If you have already fielded:

Microcorp Agents 100 x 2 (200)
Deathreavers 40 x2 (80)
Laglor 110

and are building to 500 points, I would suggest one of four units to fill this roll:

Sgt. Drake Alexander (Your own Drake cannot be targetted by either Nakita or Krav until it's too late and his 6 attack will cause havok on many other threats as well.
Minions of Utgar or Sentinels of Jandar would be great choices for maps with a lot of elevation. While their speed is slower than Drake and the last choice, the flying keeps you from factoring elevation into movement, thus providing them with pseudo speed. Also, castle scenarios are great for these two units.
Ninjas of the Northern Wind can be VERY quick and very deadly versus Nakita and Krav. These are my personal favorites for the job.

Notice that the 4 units above bring your point total to exaclty 500. You can chose other units if you don't care about building to total, but I NEVER sacrifice a single point if I can helo it. Always get the most for your money, unless your capabilities are severely impacted by the change in units.

500 point armies:
Microcorp Agents 100 x 2 (200)
Deathreavers 40 x2 (80)
Laglor 110
Sgt Drake Alexander 110

Microcorp Agents 100 x 2 (200)
Deathreavers 40 x2 (80)
Laglor 110
Minions of Utgar 110

Microcorp Agents 100 x 2 (200)
Deathreavers 40 x2 (80)
Laglor 110
Sentinels of Jandar 110

Microcorp Agents 100 x 2 (200)
Deathreavers 40 x2 (80)
Laglor 110
Ninjas of the Northern Wind 110

If building to 400 points, I would go with:
Microcorp Agents x2 100 (200)
Deathreavers x1 40
Laglor 110
Tarn Viking Warriors 50 (to close on hard to hit by range units...they are fast, with good defense and attack and fill the total to 400 exactly).

Hopefully I have provided better insight into the Microcorp Agents with a few possible competitive builds for 400 and 500 point games. I also hope that you've learned something about Heroscape in general from following my train of thought (this is the caboose) and rationallizations for different choices.

Hopefully wave 3 will be available en masse again soon so that ALL may possess the power that is microcorp (sadly I only have one set )

Later,

Adam

[Marduk]

Originally Posted by MKSentinel

Well...it is, but it also blocks damage from a lot of things you don't normally get defense against...LIKE:

You missed a couple, and one that should be reworded. This is just off the top of my head, I will check more extensively later.

You should reword Me-Burq-Sa's Paralyzing Stare - it does not damage, so say an attack by Me-Burq-Sa after a successful Paralyzing Stare. Similarly, you could ignore wounds from James Murphy after he uses his Whip power, and stand up to more than one wound from Retiarius after he trips you. Add in the Marro Plague and a Deathstalker's Maul. It is also handy for shutting down Deathwalker 8000's "machine-gun madness" and Nilfheim's Ice Shards (provided the Microcorp Agent is adjacent to him).

What it doesn't work against abilities that do not deal damage LIKE:

Add in:
The Glyph of Mitonsoul
Deadeye Dan's Sharpshooter special power
Sudema's Stare of Stone special power

Edit: killercactus correctly pointed out that as commons, they are not vulnerable to:

Originally Posted by self

And of course powers that do not actually harm the character like Mind Shackle or Soul Devour.

[killercactus]

Actually, being common squads, they dont fear shackle or devour, and I'll add Morsbane's Rod of Negation to the list of stuff Stealth Armor doesn't stop.

I wish I had some of these guys, because I would love to field them. Hasbro, please bring back wave 3.....

[Buddy Lee]

Haven't seen it listed:

Stealth armor may negate the Marrden Hounds' Marro Plague.
EDIT: Found it in Marduk's post.

Stealth armor can counter the Deathstalkers' Maul.
EDIT: Found it in Marduk's post.

Stealth armor is a possible defense against Cyprien Esenwiein's Chilling touch.

Buddy Lee

[LilMoochie]

Do the Microcorp get to roll for their Stealth Armor if they are on a swamp water space? I'm inclined to think that they should since it is "swamp WATER"

[Aldin]

Yup, they sure do. Technically, Slither works too - though it hardly matters.

~Aldin, Swamp Thing

[ChaosChild]

Originally Posted by LilMoochie

Do the Microcorp get to roll for their Stealth Armor if they are on a swamp water space? I'm inclined to think that they should since it is "swamp WATER"

Stealth Armor doesn't require a certain terrain. However, Water Suits (+2 defense) do work on swamp water.

[LilMoochie]

Originally Posted by ChaosChild

Stealth Armor doesn't require a certain terrain. However, Water Suits (+2 defense) do work on swamp water.

Whoops. My mistake. But you guys knew what I meant. Thanks! :P

[Zealot]

I apologize if this is a dumb question, but for the Microcorps' "Sighting Ability" it says

When attacking with a height advantage, roll an additional attack die.

I already assumed that the answer is "No" but do the Microcorps add 1 more attack die when they have extreme height advantage (more than 10 levels higher)

example:

Normal attack = 2
Attack with height = 4
Attack from 10+ levels higer = 5 (just for the 10 levels) or 6 (the 10 levels +1 for sighting again)

[Rÿchean]

Sighting can only be apllied once per attack, not twice.

[Zealot]

Thanks,

thats what I figured but I wanted a second opinion

Just got my 2nd squad of them and now I'm going to be testing them out with my mostly Utgar army.