In this article we’ll take a look at the newly previewed Mandalorian Super Commandos for Shadow Collective.
What is this? They let her come back for another hot take on Shadow Collective units? Why yes, they did indeed! Or they just haven’t noticed that I still have access to the blog. Either way, here I am, and today we’re going to take a first look at the Mandalorian Super Commandos!
I am SUPER excited about Shadow Collective and especially these guys. The Battle Force concept that AMG is bringing to the game is going to open up a lot of doors for those little fringe groups that may or may not be affiliated with the four factions. The possibilities are … more well than you can imagine!
Mandalorian Super Commandos
Jumping right in, we have a card that looks equivalent to the Rebel Mandalorian Resistance at first glance. Unit size is 3, Red saves with Surge/Block. Impervious, Jump 2, Speed-3, plenty of upgrade slots and pretty dangerous at Range 2. They’re even close in point cost!
But then things get different. We’ve got the Shadow Collective affiliation in the corner, and the little tab to the right of it indicating that they’re Mercenaries, and like Maul, there are no factions in the circles indicating that they cannot be hired by any of the factions. Only the Shadow Collective battle force can take them for now. Let’s dig in a bit deeper!
We’re straying from what we know of Mandalorians now. There’s no Nimble! Oh wait! We get Defend! So just by issuing an order, we get a dodge token. We also have Independent: Aim, so if we don’t get issued an order we get an aim token. We can also play Aggression, take one fewer order token and give the Super Commandos an aim (from the command card) and a dodge token from their ability!
We also have a third weapon option at Range 3, increasing their threat range. Not as dangerous as range 2, with double black dice, but nearly so (1 black, 1 white). These ‘mandos come well armed! That also means you can split your fire between two different dice pools. Granted with three models (we’ll get to heavies in a moment) that’s not a lot of dice. There’s also no attack surges, so there’s another difference as well.
Upgrades – Combat Shields and Jetpack Rockets
We also got some equipment options revealed as well. You can really stack the unit pretty well with these.
First up we have Super Commando combat shields. Pretty straightforward, we get two shield tokens, but no Recharge ability. At 10 points that might be a bit steep, especially if taking multiple units. Shield tokens are pretty nice though, because you can use them to pick critical hits and cancel them, allowing your dodges to do their thing. The lack of Recharge on the shields is concerning, but also keeps you from having to worry/struggle with deciding just when would be the best time to use that recover action to get them back.
Next we have Jetpack Rockets. Similar yet different to their Resistance counterparts, we’ve got a range 4 threat now! With a heavy upgrade in place this gives us a one time attack with 4 red dice with both Critical 4 AND Impact 4 and ignores all attempts at cover. For 8 points, it’ll be worth it to make some vehicles keep their distance. (I’m looking at you Spider Droids). The critical is mostly relevant as they don’t normally surge (Blast and Impact 4 are going to maximize your paint against armor and cover, anyway).
Comms Upgrade – Emergency Transponder
A hotly speculated card in the Legion Discord, and wagered on at Canto Bight and back alleys everywhere, the Emergency Transponder was revealed today. I’m not disappointed in the least. At just 4 points, you can grab an aim token, a dodge token or remove a suppression. Granted this can only be used by a unit that is pulling from “the bag” (or your chosen method of random selection) so as a Separatist army or any list with uber order control, you aren’t going to see this much. If you fly by the seat of your pants, like a lot of my lists do, then this can be something you like very much!
Since this upgrade triggers before the Rally step, it can be extremely pivotal in keeping a unit from fleeing the board, or making a difference between just one or two very important actions that activation. I’m liking this quite a bit! Secondly, some vehicles, like my LAAT/le, often do not take advantage of the comms upgrade slot. I was using the Onboard Comms Channel, but have found that after they leave the command range or their transported unit has left, there’s not a lot going on with that upgrade. I could add this upgrade for a mere 1 point difference and get a free aim or dodge token on my LAAT/le at a pivotal moment. Two aims if the Baron is using one of his Recover/Attack turns. I think we’ll see a fair bit of this card being used.
This seems especially interesting on units that have a comms slot but aren’t vehicles (for LTA) and don’t have training slots (for Offensive Push) which would otherwise provide token generation. I’m looking at you, B2 Battle Droids.
Heavy Weapon Upgrades – A Plethora
Wow! Options!! So many options! I fear I’m going to have to run multiple Super Commandos squads just to get a feel for everything going on here. They are a bit pricey, but I feel like anything added to this unit just makes it a bit more solid.
First up is the generic Super Commando. Judging from the name you’d think they were just another generic mini for the squad, but wait, here comes Cache: Surge 2! There’s our missing attack surges!
Next we have the Gunslinger. Remember how I said that Super Commandos are really dangerous at range 2? This mini gives us two extra white dice and Lethal 1… but no Gunslinger (that would be a bit complicated for just one mini to have it, but kinda cool). With that Independent: Aim, it’s a slam dunk for Pierce 1!
The Marksman (without Marksman). This mini makes that range 3 threat a bit more threatening. With an extra red die and Precise 1, that free Aim from Independent will synergize perfectly!
Finally we come to Rook Kast. I’ve been waiting for my girl, y’all. Obviously she’s the leader of the band, but she’s also bringing and extra wound and red attack dice because she’s fierce! We also get Retinue: Maul, and working near him gets her unit a free aim or dodge token. On top of all the other bonus tokens, she’s just bringing a little more.
Conclusion
So on the surface, we are looking at another expensive special forces unit that has too few models to be useful (looking at you ARCs and Mandalorian Resistance). I feel though, that we need to take a look at these units in a different way. They are harassment units, and the Super Commandos are no different. I’ve seen someone who uses units like these to pop in, unleash a volley of fire and then run and find cover before you can ever respond. Having access to a decent Range 3 pool makes a huge difference here. Inspired by this, I’m absolutely going to do the same kind of thing with the Super Commandos. After all, that’s a large part of what the Shadow Collective has going for them, and I intend to see if I can make it work!
I honestly have not liked this writer. I don’t feel as though her writing ability is as polished as the others, and it’s really hard to read her articles. I feel like someone needs to proof-read her more or something. She repeats herself too often, and doesn’t add anything interesting to the conversation around each new unit spoiled. I would never pay for the Patreon with writers like her. Love all your other articles though, seriously!
Sorry Jake, I have to disagree with you. I found both of Cami’s articles easy to read and informative, great addition to the team, but hey each to their own, and Cami, keep up the good work.
Interesting. I was just thinking the opposite and that I enjoyed the article and also the speed at which it arrived after the reveal. This is a first take so it Would be great to have a follow up article after someone has actually had a chance to play these and then we could get more end depth strategy. But as a first take, I thought it was a great article
It wouldn’t be an article about gaming without a misogynistic comment. It wasn’t repetitive, it’s a first reaction posted shortly after the reveal, and adds some of their thoughts and commentary to what was revealed. Pretty good article; looking for more.
I don’t understand the inference of misogyny? Nothing was said or implied that had to do with a person’s sex. Assuming someone’s intent in the most negative is a dangerous path to tread. With that said, I enjoyed the article. Previewed the unit, broke down some tactics, showed off a few new cards….fine job
Thanks for the breakdown! Definitely wonder about 3 wound units, but totally agree that perhaps these are best use a little more as harassment and cleanup. Good call.
Suspect that the shields for 10 points will be a given, taking a 3 wound unit to an effective 5 wound unit is a huge boost. Chuck in an extra body and all the various ways they can get access to dodges (or free aims, sparing an action to dodge) and I think they’ll have a surprising amount of resilience.
In my experience with rebel Mando’s, 4 wounds ends up very swingy and unreliable for a kitted out unit costing up to around 112pts, but the 6 wounds on Clan Wren (+Situational Awareness and a free dodge from Sabine’s retinue) make them very tanky for a similar cost. Rook Kast with shields (7 wounds) + SA, is expensive at 122 but should be even more tanky with dodges from Retinue and Defend 1. Run alongside Maul as a combined threat they should be pretty terrifying.
Sorry Jake, I have to disagree with you. I found both of Cami’s articles easy to read and informative, great addition to the team, but hey each to their own, and Cami, keep up the good work.
Good read, thanks Cami! I have some slight concerns around these when compared directly to ARCs, but I think we can all agree that the GAR elite are feeling a little lacklustre in general at the moment (Wookiees nonwithstanding)!
I enjoy Kami’s articles, keep ’em coming!
I think that range 3 is a huge boost to this version on Mandos. Get in cover, behind shields and dodges, this unit can block hits before rolling dice. Return fire and then use their mobility to take objectives while Black Suns and Maul charge forward.
Thanks for the article! Love Cami’s writing!
Great write up! I was initially unimpressed by these, but I’m really coming around.
The weakness of Mando squads, which to me, has always been expensive one-wound units getting picked off by Pierce. As a Rebel player, I’m a bit jealous of the shield – those two tokens are effectively cover for Pierce poke.
I also think it’s great they introduced a unit that sticks closely enough to the existing Mando stat line to feel thematic, but with enough key differences to be interesting.