Today we do the new teeth of the Vong. The VJH
has had a major impact on the game - great for vong,
not so much for Jedi. For 20pts you have stats
that are off the flippin chart! The VJH has a
whopping 70 HP and a solid 16 DEF and +9 ATK.
The base 10DAM sucks, but that is what the shaper is
for as its typical Vong.
You get into the abilities, and this guy gets even
bigger. Add crab armor 6 onto the alreay beefy
70HP and its going to go even further, especially
when you consider that its a save of 6! This
is the first vong that is a serious offensive
threat. The +9 may not be great, but he has
twin, so he always gets two shots. His big
problem is that big defense Jedi, but hold it.
The VJH has Jedi hunter to boost his ATK to a +13
for 20 DAM. That means he needs 7s for the
average Jedi. The VJH can average 40 DAM
(60DAM with a shaper)to the average Jedi, while a
Jedi will only average 20DAM on a double attack.
Considering the swarms you can make, Jedi should be
afraid, very afraid. They are also equipped
with thud bugs if they want to try to activate a
character.
Jedi not being able to use the force powers that
generally give them their powers, really makes this
a one sided game when its VJH vs Jedi. This is
why i think we need to start to see some Jedi with
parry. Of course the Vong are not perfect.
They are still going to have a heck of a time
dealing with anything with damage reduction and
shooters that can pack a punch and over power their
VCA.
100pts: Believe it or not, the VJH is very playable
here, especially since this format is generally a
Jedi ruled format. They can pack a punch and
take a wollup in return. It may take some
maneuvering, but it is playable.
150/200pts: They are very playable in both of
these formats. You can run them in swarms or
work in Lah or other help. The shaper makes
these guys deadly if you can keep her alive.
The vong are not only very playable, but they are
pushing hard for tier 1 status.
SA:
Melee
Twin Attack
Jedi Hunter (+4/+10 vs force users)
Force Immunity
Thud Bug
Vonduun Crab Armor 6 (When this character takes
damage, he can reduce the damage dealt by 10 with a
save of 6)
Goodness gracious, what an absolute beast we have
today. They call this guy a Jedi hunter for a
reason, but first things first. The stats by
themselves are solid across the board, save damage
which is a paltry 10. However, that 10 damage
grows to ridiculous numbers with the right support.
The special abilities this guy has is through the
roof. Twin attack is great, especially on a
melee piece. Moving six and attacking twice is
always gold. Force immunity is also lovely with all
the force users running around today. Thud bug
is standard on Vong, apparently, but typically
you'll not want to waste your attacks to try and
thud someone. Bring in cheaper pieces for
that. Vonduun Crab Armor 6 (yes, 6!) is
absolutely amazing. Not only do we have 70 HP
on a 20 point piece, but Crab Armor 6 gives you the
next best thing to DR10 . . . perhaps it *is* better
considering it works against lightsabers and
penetration 10. This guy is a total tank.
I saved the Jedi Hunter ability for last simply
because I wanted to illustrate the potential damage
output of a piece with only base 10 damage. Lets
say we have Warmaster, a shaper, and an Advance
Agent Officer all within six squares of our 20 point
powerhouse(s). You win initiative, move at
least a square and twin someone with a force rating.
Assuming you are still in range of your CE's (and
not disrupted) you likely just hit for 100 damage.
How? Well, we start off with a +9att/10dam.
Jedi hunter makes it +13/20. Momentum from
Warmaster boosts it to a +17/30. Cunning
attack from the Officer pumps it up even more to
+21/40. Finally, the Shaper sends you into the
stratosphere with +21/50. You have twin, so do it
twice :) +21 attack for 50 Damage?
Twice? With a 20 point piece? Yes,
please.
The Jedi Hunter and Shaper have made the Vong scary
with this latest set. However, there are some
major weaknesses. For one, disruptive shuts
you down completely. You still get the
Shaper's +10 because it's an ability, but everything
else is nullified. Also, there's no guarantee
you will face Force users. Finally, since the
Jedi Hunters are melee, you can easily get shot up
on the way there, even with the 70HP and Crab Armor.
The Vong are well on their way to being truely
competitive, but they still have a bit of work to be
done.
100/150/200pts 4/5: The Jedi Hunter gets a 4
across the board, hands down. In 100, four of
these guys (plus 20 pts of support) will completely
overwhelm Bane, Vader JH, or any other force user
they come across. In 150 and 200, the support
will vary, but ultimately it comes down to match
ups. If you play a force-heavy opponent with
little/no disruptive you will likely steamroll them.
If you play against non-force users and/or heavy
disruptive, you will likely get beat down.
This is speaking from experience, mind you.
He's still a solid piece though, no matter the foe.
