Legion - Army List Review - Vaderbacks

Over the course of the silly season I was lucky enough to have a fair few games with the family members in the house who enjoy legion as much as I do.

Although we're not playing ultra competitive lists at all, the kids sure do like to make every attempt to knock me down when they have a chance. Darth Vader has always been a fan favourite for me and despite being a 'non-meta' choice, this only fuels me to try and have fun with him in lists I try.

This is the list I've been playing around with over the last 6 weeks and it has been a lot of fun.

Darth Vader (175 + 25 = 200)

--Force Barrier (10), Force Push (10), Saber Throw (5)

Although very slow, once Vader picks up momentum he hits like a truck. Combined with Force Push allows him to dictate most of his battles but also allows him to remain in combat which is generally a safe place for him. Force Barrier has quickly become a new favourite of mine mitigating damage onto the Dewbacks and any other targets of opportunity.

Allowing myself not to forget about Force Barrier.

Imperial Officer (45 + 5 = 50)

--Strict Orders (5)

A cheap activation and having Strict Orders allows for greater suppression control. The beauty of this list as well is there isn't any courage 1 values in the force meaning an opponent really needs to work hard to remove actions from units.

2 x Stormtroopers (44 + 39 = 83)

--DLT-19 Stormtrooper (22), Imperial Officer Upgrade (17)

Stock standard Stormtroopers with the range 4 DLT. The Officer upgrade allows for two actions more often.

Snowtroopers (44 + 38 = 82)

--Gideon Hask (38)

Gideon Hask is a wonderful addition to a unit of Snowtroopers. Steady allows for his two red dice to punch through enemy units as well as the additional pip of courage. His coordinate rule is also handy when it comes up (and/or when I remember it...).

Imperial Royal Guards (75 + 6 = 81)

--Tenacity (4), Environmental Gear (2)

Commonly known as Vader's ablative wounds.

Vaders/Dewbacks extra wound pile. These guys are generally soaking wounds but also aren't a slouch when charging into combat. Last game they managed to put 5 wounds into Count Dooku with their pistols at range 2. Good times! 

Scout Troopers (Strike Team) (20 + 28 = 48)

--DLT-19x Sniper (28)

Some much needed long range support. They're also good at capturing an objective late game if the need comes up. Also not a bad choice for Force Barrier in the opening round if something is targeting them.

2 x Dewback Rider (75 + 9 = 84)


--Tenacity (4), Comms Jammer (5)

One of my favourite models/units in the entire game of Legion. I really enjoy running these although my opponents hate them and they generally don't make it to the end of the game. They're certainly blaster magnets for warranted reason. Once they get into combat they can essentially tarpit the unit until they've finished with them provided they're not a force wielder. I'd never used Comms Jammer until this list and the disruption is causes is amazing. Using a turn 2-3 'New Ways to Motivate Them' to ensure they get into combat deep into the enemy lines guarantees some annoying situations for the opponent. I do miss having no ranged armament on them however.

Keeping a heavily suppressed unit close to Vader ensures they won't panic.

They're also great to provide some mobile light cover for Vader if needed but generally I've found opponents will just focus fire to bring them down anyway if they have a shot.

A cheeky play is to displace enemy troops on the same round as Master of Evil is played for maximum amount of suppression and a greater chance of enemy panicked units.

Commands:

Vaders Might (1), Implacable (1), New Ways to Motivate Them (2), Push (2), Assault (3), Master of Evil (3), Standing Orders (4)

Vaders Might - is a great way to move a Dewback from a vulnerable position into a better one outside of the obvious repositioning benefits of enemy units.

Implacable - Always a mid to late game play in order to last/first something with Vader and get double attacks/force barrier/force push onto something. I've often struggled with over committing Vader in my early Legion games and playing it a bit safer allows for better opportunities to use this card.

New Ways to Motivate Them - This is a very potent combination with spurring Dewbacks. They can move just shy of range 3 which is difficult for an opponent to plan around and can easily catch someone off guard. The key is popping it just at the right time to ensure maximum results. Sometimes the better option is to charge the enemy and hope you're attacks don't wipe them out by leaving them safe from return fire. Royal Guard are also a good candidate for this allowing them a bit more flexibility and to trigger Tenacity.

Master of Evil - The go to card once Vader is in the thick of combat. 3 suppression tokens is generally enough to ensure enemy units are only performing one action which can really swing a turn.

Deployments: Major Offensive, Battle Lines, Advanced Positions, Hemmed In
Objectives: Sabotage the Moisture Vaporators, Key Positions, Intercept the Transmissions, Recover the Supplies
Conditions: Minefield, Limited Visibility, Hostile Environment, Supply Drop

Thanks for reading and I hope you'll give it a try at some stage.

James