Illuminated vs punk zombie?

[wadesauce]

Hey wyrdos, got a question for ya, I'm building a 10t list. It's going to be a toshiro and sensei yu list and I have exactly 7ss to spare at the end of my list.. I can't decide between illuminated or punk zombie. Both fill the same roll, and both have similar capabilities. 

 

I won't have any brilliance synergy, but illuminated can stand on their own without it, and it's kind of cool to hire a punk zombie out of faction.. 

 

What'd ya think?

[AverageBoss]

Actually, with Toshiro your Illuminated can pull off some brilliance shenanigans, though it takes a bit of set up. Sensei Yu makes it a bit easier with airburst though.

Cast War Fan on the illuminated to give it fast. Push it into position with airburst if needed. Use the Illuminateds ranged attack on your target to give it brilliance. Then charge it and have fun.

 

[Myyrä]

I would use those 7ss to hire Katanaka Sniper instead.

[wadesauce]

I've never used the sniper, they seem really versatile, but their 5sh kinda puts me off. 

 

Good point on war fan with illuminated. 

 

[DeleteAccount]

I´d say it´s a call of when you see the terrain. Going blind? Illuminated, those bastards are just solid. A lot of severe terrain? The punk, he should be able to maneuver and get there between his walking charging and other pushes. If you have clear shooting lines? The Katanaka will give your opponent fits.

[Myyrä]

I've never used the sniper, they seem really versatile, but their 5sh kinda puts me off.

 

The built in is worth more than +2Sh before cheating. You can't exactly force hits against models with high Df but your opponent will quite likely have to cheat in high cards to make you miss.

[BigHammer]

The illuminated, by far, is your best bet. It's got armour, regen and a self-heal that make it last a lot longer than the zombie, it's got a respectable shooting attack that can give out Brilliance to boost its own damage on the charge, it has a larger threat range than the zombie as well. Tosh gives it + flips to melee attacks, so the zombie's built-in + flips effectiveness is reduced overall, and the Flay trigger makes them highly dangerous even against hard to wound targets.

The sniper isn't really comparable in this role (melee beatstick) because while they have a similar melee attack, they aren't as tough as either model and have a lower Ml stat. If you want a sniper, though, they are fantastic. Sh 5 is usual for a sniper (anything higher tends to make them really powerful), and they can just stay within 3" of Yu to make their focused shots Sh 6 equivalent anyway (which tends to make them really powerful).

But yeah, with War Fan, Daimyo and Yu already in your list, the Ch 8 self-healing, armoured, terrifying Illuminated work amazingly well (I always bring one with Tosh and they always punch well above their weight).

[ArcticPangolin]

I've never used the sniper, they seem really versatile, but their 5sh kinda puts me off. 

Don't knock the Sh5 on a sniper until you're tried it! And, as BigHammer said, going to Sh6 with Sensei Yu nearby who you have in your list anyway won't need much from your hand.

On topic, I can't really imagine a situation where I would choose the Punk Zombie over an Illuminated. Will give 'em a go sometime when I get my hands on some though!

[wadesauce]

Thanks everyone. Illuminated it is. Plus crab claws are cool. 

 

Also, I'll have to try out those snipers sometime. I already like the archers. 

[EntrepeNinja]

Maybe if there was a way for Toshi to summon 'em... Hm. Yeah. I like the illuminated a lot. The zombies may be better at hitting, but they die quickly. They have hard to kill so maybe with a low river Yu to keep 'em up? Or something like that? Yeah, I haven't tried 'em. Mostly 'cuz I don't own any, I've played against them quite a bit, tho.

ENinja