Shatterpoint Unit Guide: Mandalorian Super Commandos

Do you like punching things? If you answered yes, unless you’re a boxer you should probably therapy. But also, Mandalorian Super Commandos might just be your thing. They like to get all up in your opponent’s grill and if they want to move away the commandos will just keep punishing them.

Mandalorian Super Commandos are available in the Shatterpoint core set.

Main card

4PC is the most expensive we’ve seen support units as of release, but Super Commandos are definitely worth the cost. They certainly have a more premium feel to them compared to some 3PC supports.

Abilities

Commandos have decent health for a support, sporting 8 stamina and 2 durability. No complaints here.

Jet Pack is a standard Mandalorian ability. It’s especially good for Super Commandos because it’s extra movement to help them get to melee, and also gives them a way to move to a new elevation even when engaged.

Mandalorians Are Stronger Together indeed! Note that, if the two characters in this unit end a move action within range 2 of each other (after both have completed their move) they can trigger this off each other. It’s a great ability because the mandos will want to be moving anyway and other abilities make a focus especially potent. It is a reactive ability so once they are injured it will cost 1-2 force, which can make things tricky. Note that Jet Pack grants a move, but not a move action, so it would not trigger Mandalorians Are Stronger Together.

No Mercy is an ability I grossly undervalued early on. That was mainly because I kept forgetting it when I was learning. Having been on the other side of the table from Super Commandos a lot recently this can make things incredibly annoying. There’s a host of reasons someone would want to move away from the Super Commandos and No Mercy can throw a wrench in those plans. Sometimes the two damage would wound the unit moving away, so that basically becomes not an option. If you are on the other side of the table, jumps and shoves (either shoving your own unit with the take cover action or shoving the Mandalorians) are some ways to get out of engagement without taking damage. Importantly, No Mercy works even when the mandos are wounded and it will never cost force since it’s innate.

Victory or Death! is nice and simple. Impact 1 gives an extra die in melee if you’re focused, and thanks to Mandalorians Are Stronger Together you should have easy focus access, even when on the move.

Disruptive Tactics

Offensively and defensively, it’s clear that Super Commandos want to be in melee. They get and extra die in melee whether attacking or defending and the melee expertise is much stronger than the ranged. My main quibble with the Super Commandos is that the tree is fairly one dimensional. They do damage. You need 4 successes after defense to get a shove from the tree, or 3+ expertise in melee. The good thing is that the melee expertise shove bypasses Steadfast, since Steadfast only ignores shoves from the combat tree.

Having said all that, if you’re rolling two 8 dice attacks against a target (thanks to focus + Impact 1) in melee then “all I do is damage” isn’t such a bad thing because wounding the defender is fairly likely. CC-7567 Captain Rex is my standard middle-of-the-road defender and 8 dice Super Commandos in melee average 3 successes against him after defense. If they get 3 successes on each attack that can be 9 wounds for a full-to-wounded Rex. The jump at 3 successes is also nice for keeping the Super Commandos mobile.

Synergy & Wrap Up

Manadlorian Super Commandos are a bit one-dimensional, but it’s a pretty good dimension. They’re good at getting up in a scrum and dishing out damage. However, you may want to hold them back for the right moment, since once they get in then Jet Pack and Stronger Together are going to become very expensive, even if No Mercy doesn’t.

Super Commandos can work as a self-contained, solo mando unit in a strike team, but they don’t mind mando buddies. Bo-Katan Kryze and Gar Saxon, Merciless Commander are both great secondaries to pair with Super Commandos. I’d prefer the former if only choosing one, since Bo-Katan also likes being in melee and can give defensive buffs to the Super Commandos.