Hades Winter Child and Red Guard List

The new Hades expansion for Dust Warfare provides several new things to the game - unit upgrades, a new Hades campaign, new reinforcements for all the forces, and a new platoon type for SSU.  This new platoon and the SSU reinforcements really seem to provide some new options for SSU - in particular the ability to take out armor at a distance. So, it only felt right to start playing with some new army lists. Plus, who can resist looking for a good reason to put those 2 wicked models on the table together?!



The new Red Guard platoon provides an interesting change from previous platoon organizations - it allows units that have typically only been available as support units to be taken as 'normal' sections.  This looks to be a bit of a two-edged sword - you can get a support choice a bit cheaper than a 'typical' platoon, but you don't have quite as much choice.  However, possibly my favorite part about this new platoon is that is leaves my support choices free for sniper units.  I have frequently lamented not having enough support choices to include snipers in my SSU lists in the past, but with the new Red Guard platoon - I always have a spot for them.

Additionally, I have been playing with the idea of including one of the new heavy tanks with Winter Child and a ground attack heli in a list - basically, including some of the hardest to kill units in the game, in the 3 respective unit types, into a single force in the hope that my opponent doesn't have an answer to all of them.

This is one of the lists I came up with, sans Ground Attack Heli:

Dust Warfare - Force Builder
Faction: SSU ( 300 / 300 )

---  Heroes
"Winter Child" Colonel Ivan Vasiliev (70)

---  Red Platoon (230)
Command Section: "Red Command" Red Guards Command Squad (25)
1st Section: "Red Thunder" Red Guards Antitank Squad (20)
2nd Section: "Red Storm" Red Guards Assault Squad (26)
3rd Section: IS-48 B "Lavrentiy Beria" (85)
4th Section: KV47-B "Natasha" (40)
Support: "Jnetzi" SSU Sniper Team (14)
    + Walker Dissection (3)
Support: "Jnetzi" SSU Sniper Team (14)
    + Walker Dissection (3)

And here is the other, with one:

Dust Warfare - Force Builder
Faction: SSU ( 298 / 300 )

---  Heroes
"Winter Child" Colonel Ivan Vasiliev (70)

---  Red Platoon (228)
Command Section: "Red Command" Red Guards Command Squad (25)
1st Section: "Red Thunder" Red Guards Antitank Squad (20)
2nd Section: "Red Storm" Red Guards Assault Squad (26)
3rd Section: IS-48 B "Lavrentiy Beria" (85)
4th Section: MIL MI-47A "Striker" (55)
Support: "Jnetzi" SSU Sniper Team (14)
    + Walker Dissection (3)

While I love the idea of the Ground Attack Heli with the Beria and Winter Child, I am worried that the army as a whole can't apply a consistent enough amount of suppression.  In particular, Winter Child, with his close range and un-jump-like provocation of reactions, really seems to need a good amount of suppression from the rest of the army to let him work at his full potential and be worth 70 points. The Striker ground attack heli, however, is one of the most capable Infantry 3+ and anti-aircraft weapons in the game - what else in the game can throw 13 dice against an Infantry 3 unit?!  Both armies look a bit weak on the ability to issue orders at first glance, but Winter Child, as a superhuman, can give orders like a command section.

The first list could definitely keep the opposition suppressed from the snipers and Natasha, but has a potential weakness against aircraft and Infantry 3+.  The second list is much better against aircraft and infantry 3+, but it feels pretty light on ability to apply suppression throughout the game.  I think, with the current style of armies that I play against locally, the first is the better choice, but if I saw more consistent aircraft (or possibly Winter Child) - the second is probably the better choice.

Thoughts?

Caanaan