In light of the feedback received from the Microcorp Agents article I drafted and the recent, and most excellent, treatise on the Ninjas in the Power Ranking article, I have decided to address my second favorite unit in the game.
To begin, the only thing that saddens me about the Ninja is that they are Unique. Being able to field multiple squads of these figures would be incredible and well worth a slight increase in point cost.
To begin with a 4 attack is phenomenal!
Attack| Defense| 1 Hit | 2 Hits | 3 Hits | 4 Hits
4............. 1...... 0.854....0.563.... 0.229....0.042
4..............2...... 0.757... 0.451.... 0.167... 0.028
4..............3...... 0.655... 0.356.....0.12..... 0.019
4............. 4...... 0.556. . 0.278.... 0.086....0.012
4..............5.......0.463....0.214.....0.062....0.008
4..............6.......0.38......0.163.....0.044....0.005
4..............7.......0.308....0.123.....0.031....0.004
4.............. 8.......0.246....0.093.....0.022....0.002
4.............. 9.......0.195....0.069.....0.015....0.002
4.............. 10.....0.153....0.051.....0.011....0.001
As you can see, you are very likely to cause wounds on any figure up to a 4 defense and almost have a statistical advantage over a 5 Defense.
Only 16 units have a straight defense of 5 or higher. Of course, this doesn't include factors like Tough or Stealth Armor that can affect hit percentages.
At 6 move they rank up there with some of the fastest units in the game. Adding in Disengage and Ghostwalk means that only terrain will hinder their free movement on the board making it, in some ways, as good as flying (though flying allows much more versatility).
A 3 defense works well against a 3 or lower attack, but factoring in Disappearing Ninja allows you a much higher pseudo-defense factor. With a 45% chance of triggering against a normal attack (ranged OR adjacent mind you).
The added movement of the Disappearing Ninja ability is great as well. It works great when used on the way to a mark (I will talk about this momentarily when I address their use as assassins). REMEMBER that the Disappearing Ninja ability works ONLY when a skull is rolled. If your opponent rolls no skulls, then you do not get the movement.
I know there was a debate about the wording on Disappearing Ninja, "...may move up to 4 spaces. Ninjas of the Northern Wind can disappear only if they end their disappearing move not adjacent to any enemy figures."
The HASBRO FAQ clarifies:
Does a Ninja using Disappearing Ninja have to move in order to disappear?
"It depends on the situation. In order to disappear, the Ninja must end its disappearing move not adjacent to any enemy figures, but remember, the move for Disappearing Ninja is up to the amount listed, so the Ninja could choose to move 0 spaces as long as it is not already adjacent to an enemy figure and still disappear. "
http://www.hasbro.com/heroscape/default.cfm?page=faq
So in order for the damage prevention to resolve the Ninja CANNOT end the resolution of the ability adjacent to any enemy unit.
Now that I have discussed the abilities and stats of the Ninjas, I shift my attention to their primary use...assassins.
In another thread I have made a case that support units, such as flagbearers, Raelin and Kelda etc, should be eliminated first as their deaths will result in a weaker overall enemy army. Killing them quickly and easily is a plus. Prioritizing a hit list of units I have also argued that you should not distract yourself with units OTHER than the unit that is your primary objective. Ranged units are the exception as once they end their move they should always find a target if possible, regardless of wether it is your top priority. Close assault units must attempt to stay unengaged and not tied to any opponent since even a Deathreaver can severely impede their hunt for their target. That is unless the unit has DISENGAGE!
Now, enter the Ninja. You select a target...say Raelin. The Ninjas advance for the kill dodging normal ranged attacks (look out for the Dragons etc!!!) left and right. A Deathreaver approaches. At this point the Ninja can either move through the Reaver or engage it. If the Reaver does not die and rolls an attack the following round and scores the Ninja gets 4 spaces closer to it's target (at least if the ability triggers ). If the attack fails, the Ninja can simply disengage and continue along its path toward the target. Disappearing Ninja makes them almost MORE effective than Carr as search and destroy units.
Really the only figures you should be scared of are Gladiatrons and Major X17 (thanks for the Major reminder Nether), because they counter disengage and Ghostwalk, and figures with intense special attacks. The last warning is very serious. Many of the more powerful units like Q9, Nilfheim and Braxas rely on special attacks to target units and will bypass the Disappearing Ninja ability with ease.
Another point of note, Counterstrike will pierce straight through Disappearing Ninja as no skulls will be rolled. Abilities that deal damage without rolling attack die like Toxic Skin and Plague will also bypass the ability. Know your weaknesses and react accordingly.
When looking for synergy in a build, look to compliment and support the Ninjas with like units or units that fill gaps/weaknesses then ninjas possess. Truthfully the unit can roll into any build as a logistics killer or ninja assassin.
The first unit that comes to mind is Agent Carr. He is the ONLY other unit at this time to possess Ghostwalk and Disengage making him a perfect compliment to the Ninja. If you are focused on being able to hit who you want, when you want, Agent Carr is a perfect fit to an assassin build.
Secondly, since the Ninjas are still quite subject to special attack damage, the best thing to do is tie up the enemies rangers with a small fast unit. Everyone should be thinking Deathreavers in unison. Two squads of Reavers can move out to tie up ranged threats as they become a problem for the Ninjas. Remember that while they will prevent MOST special attacks from targeting the Ninja, figures like Braxas will still penetrate the engaged rule barrier.
Which brings me to my final choice for a 500 point assassin build. Braxas is a powerhouse that can move about anywhere (doesn’t have Nilfheim’s wing restrictions) and can target figures at range even when engaged (since her ability to eat figures with Acid Breath is an ability vice a special attack). Against squad units or units with high defense you may want to push Braxas against your opponent over Carr or the Ninja.
So, a 500 point assassin build might look like this:
Agent Carr 100
Ninjas of the Northern Wind 110
Deathreavers 40 x2 80
Braxas 210
In 400, you will need to pare down a bit. Braxas should be the obvious hit since 210 points would absorb over half your army. If only the Ninja were a common squad it would be very easy to fill the 110 gap with their brethren, but alas, infinite wisdom at Hasbro forces us to make another selection.
One of my tenants in army building is NEVER to have more than 4 different units in play at the same time (of course this doesn’t work well for huge games like 1000 points, but I rarely play in that environ). That said I am looking for a common squad at 55 points or a singe unit at 110. I also ALWAYS try to build to point total. I rarely EVER give my opponent a point advantage form the get go. SO let’s look at possible 110 point fills for the 400 point version.
Dund, Acolarh and Laglor really don’t bring much benefit to the table and lack synergy with this build. Ninja, again, are already fielded. Brunak might be interesting, but again lacks some synergy. Depending on the map and circumstances you might want to field the Minions or Sentinels to get at height advantage units and make them pay. Alastair doesn’t hold a lot of synergy with this build either and really is more at home in a Champion Bonding build and Valguard results are the same with regard to Warlord Bonding.
This leaves me with two viable options. I would argue that Drake has a lot of what it takes to cut the mustard. He can track down figures on high ground with the grapple gun. He also has defense against MOST range, but suffers the same penalty the Ninjas do of being subject to specials. He is my number 2 choice for the build.
My number one choice for the assassin build at 400 is the Airborne Elite. The drop is fairly risky at 400, but the results are perfect and very synergistic with the build. Being able to place four snipers ANYWHERE on the board can really help support the Ninjas and the Airborne are some of the best Snipers in the game. At any turn in which they drop, place them on higher ground near your primary target and unleash. They can accomplish what the Ninjas do in a fraction of the time in a successful drop round.
SO, a 400 point assassin build would look like this:
Agent Carr 100
Ninjas of the Northern Wind 110
Deathreavers 40 x2 80
Airborne Elite 110
An alternate 500 build might look like this:
Agent Carr 100
Ninjas of the Northern Wind 110
Airborne Elite 110
Major Q9 180
Instead of Braxas, you would field one of the most feared units in the game, Major Q9. He also eats squads and his Special Attack can pierce most defensive abilities. He also give you 4 cards until your AE drop. I think I like the second version even better.
Hope this was as informative as the diatribe on Mircrocorp agents.
Thanks for reading
Adam
