Star Wars Legion Unit Review: LAAT/LE Patrol Transport, Part II

Good morning gamers,

Last time, we looked at the LAAT/LE Patrol Transport in Republic lists and today we're looking at what appears to be the same unit but in Empire lists. While the Comms and Ordnance upgrades are the same, the Empire list itself and the Pilot options available to the Empire changes how useful a LAAT is (and how it's played) dramatically. We're going to begin by going back over the profile - if you read the Republic post, much of this will sound familiar . . .

LAAT/LE Patrol Transport: The Profile

LAATs are Heavy unit choices and like most heavy options, they have Armor 5 (slapping the first five hit results in the attack pool is basically like what full armor was, though big dice pools are likely to get some hits past Armor 5 - but more on that later). Armor X is one of those keywords that's so powerful, that there are OTHER keywords specifically designed to counter it (the Impact keyword, which turns Hits into Crits, and the Critical keyword, which turns surge results into Crits). While LAATs are probably one of the least popular full armor units in the game, they have some of the best supporting keywords alongside the Armor X keyword.

Three logical LAAT layouts, running you 116-133pts
Photo Credit: LegionHQ

LAATs also have Cover 1, which will remove 1 Hit result before keywords like Impact are applied - super useful. They're also Immune to Blast (so you can't take their Cover 1 away), Melee weapons (so you don't have to worry about Jedi slamming you with 6+ dice and loads of Pierce/Impact), and Range 1 weapons (which includes all grenades - one of which has Impact). It's important to note that most weapons with Blast happen to be Range 1 weapons, but for the few that aren't (Bunker Buster Shells, the MPL Barrage Trooper, and the B2-HA Trooper), you're immune to those too. With a white defense die and defensive surges, any damage that does make it through is probably going to be successful in wounding you (especially if Pierce is present), but you'll be shrugging off most of the dice that are thrown your way.

Legion review: Legion is a Whole New Game

 Good Morning gamers!

This is Gorgoroth here and I am about to talk about the new Legion redo. 

So there I was, watching on a phone as Legion1 changed into Legion2. And I was thinking," I collect an army and make an amazing strategy for Legion1 and the game changes on me? This does not bode well for my luck expectancy." So I decided to try the new game and I really want to share my experience with you on how that went. 

1. Clone commandos are still OP (ugh);
2. Since I don't roll white dice particularly well I didn't have good cover...and everybody who plays Legion knows how that feels (double ugh); and
3. Since I couldn't kill Obi-wan Kenobi or Padme or that unmistakably annoying Fives's squad, I.. got my butt kicked and I admit this in shame and complete honesty.

And I have only have only 11 letters to say to this...keep Playing. This game has its pros and cons and some pros, like a certain three that I'll mention a little bit later, are definitely worth playing for. So let's just cut the drama and just roll into number 1.

1. Sniping is easier, since you roll extra defense dice for cover instead of gaining automatic block for cover there is a pretty good chance you hit with a rifle and if that sounds bad to you, you can find comfort in that sniper rifles except for the clone commando rifles (which is totally unfair) cost like 10 points more.
2. An extra 200 points, so that you can buy your leader, punch, and bodies and still have room for all your favorite toys that make this game worth playing like Cad Bane who is undeniably, particularly, awesome. This is also really nice if you play shoretroopers who are good but expensive. A few extra points to field them is always welcome.
3. There can be a legion, since there is this new upgrade that can add a bunch of bodies, which can add up to a bunch of bullets in your opponent's face. This is also really nice if you need to just hold an objective all game because you will know you are never going down.

So if you need some encouragement to keep playing, just remember that no matter what happens, this is still a game of legion. And I can't end this post better than that so here ends my post and may the Force be with you.

Star Wars Legion Unit Review: LAAT/LE Patrol Transport, Part I

Good morning gamers,

The past few posts have been about Wookiees - mostly in the Republic faction, but we also looked at their applications in Rebel factions. When I first considered getting Wookiees (especially the melee-oriented Noble Fighter variants), I was like, "Man, I need a way to get these guys into combat before they lose someone!" Naturally, as a Republic player, this meant buying one thing: a LAAT/LE Patrol Transport (hereafter LAAT - though I traditionally refer to it as the "battle Orca" because of my painting scheme).

<my LAAT>

No, this thing doesn't look like the LAATs that we get in Attack of the Clones - it's a patrol transport variant that looks far more at home in a hangar full of TIE Fighters than amongst Clone combat gear. LAATs, like Wookiees, are multi-faction and can be fielded by both the Republic and the Empire. Today's post will be focused on the use of LAATs in the Republic and we'll pick up the topic for the Empire next time. Let's see what this thing can do . . .

Yeah, when you say LAAT, this is what I think of . . .

LAAT/LE Patrol Transport: The Profile

LAATs are Heavy unit choices and like most heavy options, they have Armor 5 (slapping the first five hit results in the attack pool is basically like what full armor was, though big dice pools are likely to get some hits past Armor 5 - but more on that later). Armor X is one of those keywords that's so powerful, that there are OTHER keywords specifically designed to counter it (the Impact keyword, which turns Hits into Crits, and the Critical keyword, which turns surge results into Crits). While LAATs are probably one of the least popular full armor units in the game, they have some of the best supporting keywords alongside the Armor X keyword.

A very traditional - and a very untraditional - LAAT build for the Republic - 119-125pts
Photo Credit: LegionHQ

LAATs also have Cover 1, which will remove 1 Hit result before keywords like Impact are applied - super useful. They're also Immune to Blast (so you can't take their Cover 1 away), Melee weapons (so you don't have to worry about Jedi slamming you with 6+ dice and loads of Pierce/Impact), and Range 1 weapons (which includes all grenades - one of which has Impact). It's important to note that most weapons with Blast happen to be Range 1 weapons, but for the few that aren't (Bunker Buster Shells, the MPL Barrage Trooper, and the B2-HA Trooper), you're immune to those too. With a white defense die and defensive surges, any damage that does make it through is probably going to be successful in wounding you (especially if Pierce is present), but you'll be shrugging off most of the dice that are thrown your way.