In Part 006 we will look at five Battlefield Tactics cards that would compliment our example IDF army we put together back in issue 003. Here’s the army list to refresh that memory!:
My First IDF Army
Formation 1 (25 pts)
- Supreme Commander: 1 × 25 pts (Hero Tokens: 5)
Formation 2 (31 pts)
- Commander: 1 × 10 pts
- Infantry: 5 × 2 pts
- IDF APC: 1 × 11 pts
Formation 3 (20 pts)
- IDF MBT: 1 × 20 pts
Formation 4 (18 pts)
- Snipers: 2 × 9 pts
Formation 5 (6 pts)
- Mortar Team: 1 × 6 pts
Hero Token Summary
- Hero Tokens from Units: 5
- Additional Hero Tokens: 0 (0 pts)
- Total Hero Tokens: 5
Total Army Points: 100
The Grand Plan
The IDF generally prefer to keep the enemy at arms length, not least because the fragile nature of their core infantry units will see them destroyed in close combat! By contrast they have some of the strongest and most expensive tanks in Encounter: Phase One which need to be heavily protected to maximise your investment and allow them to wreak the havoc they are capable of. Our Infantry formation lead by the Commander and supported by the IDF APC will act as a screen for our MBT, Snipers, and Mortar Team. This six unit formation can advance forward to engage the enemy and grab objectives, but it will need a little help surviving the opening stages of battle. Some of this help will come from the Mortar Team firing smoke canisters to impede incoming fire and the Commander can perform minor miracles by using Hero Tokens to automatically save some hits on the formation. In addition, there are some Battlefield Tactics cards that will increase unit survivability and suit our strategy perfectly!
Card 1: Off-Table Barrage
Let’s start with something entirely thematic for our aspiring IDF champions; the Off-Table Barrage. This can be highly effective at taking out groups of enemy infantry and also has a decent chance of destroying the odd lightly armoured target. Off-Table Barrage is often used right at the start of a game to soften up the enemy back line, but it works just as well if you hold it back for the most opportune moment; perhaps to break a formation or remove it from an objective. Generally speaking you will want to drop on units in open ground, since any cover save the enemy gets will reduce the efficiency of your valuable Battlefield Tactics card!
Card 2: Battlefield Support
For our second pick we have chosen the trusty Battlefield Support card. Just like the Star Marines detailed in issue 004, the IDF are relying on a very expensive tank to blast apart opposing high-value targets and if it is destroyed, our anti-armour options are limited. Equally, the IDF APC is a crucial component of our infantry formation because it soaks up enemy fire and provides some welcome medium-range punch. This make Battlefield Support an obvious choice for our IDF army!
Card 3: Marshal
Marshal can keep your valuable formations in the fight for longer. It is extremely flexible since you can play the card at any time, helping you to see through an engagement, hold an objective, or simply remove the penalty for being suppressed. It is best used on reasonably-sized formations to get the most out of it, i.e. formations that are able to accumulate 4 Blast Markers and is perfect insurance for our infantry formation. That is not to say Marshal would be wasted on the MBT if it meant the tank could be saved from breaking or being suppressed!
Card 4: Electronic Warfare
Electronic Warfare is not a flashy option that allows you to drop artillery shells on your opponent, but it is incredibly useful. The IDF will make use of its ability to prevent an enemy formation on ‘Move It!’ orders from charging them in the first Action Phase, which is always a bonus when most of your units struggle in close combat! Perhaps you need to prevent them from reaching an object. Sometimes, even an IDF player needs to pile into an engagement and Electronic Warfare can be used to stop the enemy from firing with ‘Weapons Ready!’ orders as you execute your brave move.
Card 5: Bait
Card number 5 is one of our favourites: Bait. You might overlook this one as it is slightly more abstract than adding a dice re-roll or removing Blast Markers, but don’t be fooled; it is golden! Picture this: you move your infantry formation to a position in open ground that is within reach of your opponent who wishes to engage with his powerful melee unit. You have masked your intent by pretending it’s a desperate move, or perhaps you are confident your opponent thinks he will tip the upcoming engagement in his favour with a Battlefield Tactics card of his own. Your opponent confidently charges into close combat, attack dice already in-hand. But then you slap Bait down on the table and wipe the smile off his face as you move all your units back to shoot from range at his melee unit that has nowhere to take cover. Priceless!
Final Thoughts
These cards are just examples of those you might take with the IDF army outlined above. Another tactic might be to take Heroic Actions and allow your IDF MBT to use Hero Tokens to make automatic hits with its hugely powerful weapons. Or, since you have two ‘Commander’ units and an opponent will often only have one, you could potentially score 3 Victory Points by using the Ultimate Sacrifice card to sacrifice your Supreme Commander and score three Victory Points in an act of unparalleled valour!
At Gigaton, we have created a useful Army Builder tool to aid you in your discovery. This allows you to play around with units and formations and share them with friends or export them to a print-friendly list for future reference.