Tactics: Scourge

DFC Rules ver 1.7

Scourge ver 231215

Popular styles: Stealth, Long Range Firepower, Close Action Brawlers

General Characteristics:

 Average

The Scourge are fast, 4+ Armour for cruisers, heavy cruisers and battlecruisers (lower than UCM/PHR at 3+, and some Resistance ships at 2+, but higher than the 5+ found on Shaltari and some other Resistance ships) and higher Signature values when compared to other factions. They do however have many special rules that help mitigate these weaknesses, such as Stealth and Cloak to protect them. Most Scourge frigates also have the Atmospheric rule, letting them hide in atmosphere until they are ready to strike. Most Scourge weapon systems have Scald*,* which increases damage potential when in Scan range. The high thrust values help the Scourge take positions early compared to more ponderous fleets like Resistance and offset the disadvantage of their higher signature values.

There are many ways to play a Scourge fleet. Popular styles include Stealth, Long Range Firepower and Close Action Brawlers. The Stealth style tends to use ships with Cloaks and Stealth to mask their signatures while still being able to shoot. Long Range Firepower will find ways to add spikes to the opponent then use Oculus and Burnthrough weapons to deal damage. Close Action Brawlers focus on ships with high shot potential weapon systems and Scald to deal damage.

Scourge frigates uniquely have atmospheric, allowing them to max thrust turn two and hide in atmosphere until an opponent comes closer, or in the case of Scylla fire out of atmosphere as essentially a turret. This means that often an opponent must dedicate limited re-entry weapons or corvettes to clear these frigates as opposed to focusing them on strike carriers or your own corvettes.

In general, the lower armor of Scourge ships encourages players to eliminate battlegroups in one shot. Highly reliant on either massive alpha strikes or slow, patient hunting by cloaked ships, Scourge players should avoid feeding their forces in piecemeal and trading battlegroup for battlegroup. Survival therefore depends on hiding ships in atmosphere or cloak until you can coordinate a fleetwide simultaneous strike.

Scourge ships are generally designed around aggression. Weapons favor front arcs, and the Scald rule favors getting within scan range. Larger then average sigs and worse armor mean that Scourge need decisive engagements early and often, and seldom want to trade fire at range. They also have more trouble midgame, as their weapons are usually confined to the front arc or require them to be within Scan range.

Scourge cruisers tend to fall into one of four categories: close action, Oculus, burnthrough, or launch. Scourge admirals can generally find two variants of each category in each battlegroup type, and all of the ships tend to be viable options. In the light and flag groups these roles tend to blur, as ships often have a combination of weapons or unique weapons, but in general there are options. Care must be taken to not mix the categories too much within a battlegroup lest you find ships working at cross purposes to one another.

When focusing on the close action ships it is important to achieve target saturation, meaning you want as many battlegroups activating and attacking in the same turn as possible. If your opponent uses two battlegroups to focus down a single battlegroup of your own, it leaves your 2nd battlegroup unopposed. If you activate first and destroy a battlegroup (very likely due to Scald and powerful close action weapons) and your opponent uses their next activation to target your first group, your second activation is unopposed. What you want to avoid is having your groups trickle in piecemeal and trading them one for one with enemy groups.

BTL weapons were reworked in the latest patch to tone them down somewhat and account for corruptor tokens. They are still excellent weapons just not overwhelmingly so.

### Advanced Tactics

***Achieving Firing Solutions***

*As a Scourge player you are fast, but also highly visible. In fact, half of the time your enemies will have a higher threat range than you. This means you will have to find ways to ensure you can strike first. There are a couple of things you can do to achieve that:*

1. *Use terrain. Try to lurk behind debris fields until the moment is right, and when it is, don't be afraid of taking* *the debris hits. Even our cotton-candy-made ships can take that, but not many ships in the game survive a combined attack of two Oculus cruisers on WF. If you try this with CAW cruisers it can be useful to give them a pair of Parasites to slurp the spikes you will get for station keeping.*
2. *Active Scan. Even though the Scourge lost access to Detector on Shedu, there still are some ways to do this, usually with mixed frigate groups along with carriers that are already going to get a minor spike from launch. Typically ships that don't need weapons free orders and thus can operate somewhat normally while using the active scan order. You can also combine these with Parasites to siphon the energy spikes, empowering the Parasite while removing the spike from the other ships.*
3. *Launch. This works quite well, provided you achieve good positioning. Your bombers fly a solid 30", rivaled only by Shaltari, and you get quite a lot of launch for relatively small points. Two Hydras will put out a juicy 10 bombers per turn, often starting from turn one. This won't leave your enemy with too many choices. Course Change, Max Thrust and counter-launching assets will all apply spikes to enemy ships, while flying into debris fields will damage the ship and won't be enough to clear 10 bombers off its tail. Revenants with cloaking crests can sneak forward to get bombers within the 15" range single turn activation window with minimal risk, while there are several carrier options in the vanguard and flag slot that have the hull and firepower to ward off ships trying to pick off a lone carrier.*

#### Burnthrough Weapon Performance:

As BTL weapons have a complicated dice mechanic, it is often hard to determine how well they perform. Statistical tables are provided here for reference. Critical hits ignore armor saves, a benefit when facing human ships, especially the Resistance ships with 2+ armor. In the 231215 update Scourge BTL interactions with the Corrupter rule were altered to reduce the number of corruptor tokens placed. Now tokens are only placed on a crit roll, even if the BTL has already crit earlier in the firing sequence.

\*\* The Magnatron Lash is a Mauler weapon, and it's lock value changes to match the armor it is shooting at. As shown here the estimated hits and crits are based on a 3+ armor target, the most common armor value in game for UCM, PHR and some Resistance ships. Performance will worsen vs. Scourge cruisers and Shaltari ships.

#### Notable Battlegroups/Combinations

##### Parasites:

Parasites can remove spikes from ships, making them good companions for ships that want to use max thrust, active scan, or weapons free orders. Siphoning spikes increases the damage or number of shots (or both, if you can siphon a major and minor spike) for the Parasite and prevent your opponent from getting good targeting solutions on a more valuable ship by removing spikes from it.

For example, a battlegroup consisting of a Hydra, 2 Revenants and three Parasites can use Active scan orders to put two minor spikes on a target. The Parasites then absorb the major spike on the Hydra, and the minor spike on the Revenant (due to a cloaking crest reducing the spike on the Revenant to minor) and then zip off using their fantastic thrust of 16 to target a ship with 6 damage 2 shots, not to mention any follow on attacks from other ships like Sphinx or Akuma.

##### Djinn Pack:

Generally contains 3-5 Djinns. This battlegroup may activate last using a Max Thrust order then next turn activate first. If this is done that will give an effective threat range of 42". All these attacks will have Scald.

#### Charybdis Pack:

4-6 Charybdis can max thrust turn 1 and 2, to get at back line clusters and bombard them into oblivion, denying your opponent a scoring opportunity turns 4 and 6. If your opponent dedicates corvettes to clearing them, those corvettes will not be available to support contested clusters close to the midline. Likewise using re-entry weapons on them means turning Kyivs or Jasons back to the rear line cluster, keeping them out of position to effect midline clusters turn 4, and limiting their influence on the midline clusters for turn 6, as they may only have one turn on turn 6 of effective fire. If your opponent does nothing, then they could lose 8 VP over the course of a game.

***The olde one-two***

Take a BG of two Hydras and a BG of two Furnace Cruisers (Ifrit/Raiju). Throw bombers at your enemy. If the target attempts to course change to throw off the bombers, the minor spike may give a firing solution to the Ifrit/Raiju. As soon as you see the option for a firing solution, melt your opponent to oblivion. This may need to be combined with an active scan, and/or a last/first activation. This also won't work against low SR battlegroups.

#### Command Deck

The Scourge have one of the better command decks. Engineered Anarchy can completely undo the opponent's strategy for a turn, and Killing Finesse can allow ships to aim BTL weapons across the whole fleet on weapons free orders. There are very few faction specific cards a player can draw that won't be useful at any point in the game.

### Faction Specific Space Stations

Unique space stations often require opponent's consent and have very specific rules for deployment. This limits their effectiveness, as some standard missions do not have room to deploy them, while others may put them in a location where they cannot contribute much to battle or are easily focused and destroyed. Generic space stations can often have longer range or more effective armaments.

#### Scourge Ephrya

A small space station with a close action weaponry. This makes it largely unable to contribute to a battle without some special mission rules.

#### Scourge Nematocyst

A small space station with a burnthrough weapon. With a whopping scan of 12", the Nemaotocyst can be somewhat effective as part of a fleet.

### Famous Admirals

#### Lord Of Flies - Nosferatu Dreadnought

Extra command cards and a double launch, with the caveat that the fighters/bombers cannot go outside of 15". Nosferatu are already a solid platform and the extra ability to cycle command cards is good, making this a solid choice.

#### Flayer - Shadow Battlecruiser

Do you like Scourge close action ships, but always get shot down before getting to that sweet, sweet Scald range? The Flayer fixes that. Now you can max thrust and fire one CAW weapon making 26" attacks possible. This is 4" further then an Occulus attack on the average unspiked cruiser. Needless to say, this is an amazing S tier ability for the faction with the best CAW in the game. Forget last/first activations with a suicide Djinn squadron, yeet those Strix 24" and fire at nearly full effect. The addition of Beast on the Flayer itself will help keep it around to continue yeeting till your fleet is fully in the enemies face.

#### Baba Yaga - Demon Battleship

Free drop means free points. This battleship gives you extra drop which amplifies your scoring potential and drop wins games. It also lets you cycle command cards as a bonus. This is another S tier choice, as the free drop will basically double your drop capacity for a modest 35 points.

### Super Heavy Ships

#### Cthulu - Dreadnought

**Role: Burnthrough Dreadnought**

The Cthulu is a terrifying spectacle of power and potential, locked behind a very steep skill curve. Its main armament is the Furnace Triad, a massive burnthrough laser capable of bisecting a battleship. However, lining up this weapon and being able to use the other weapon systems requires skill and careful planning. For these reasons the Cthulu functions more as a sniper/support role dreadnought. The sniping generally comes from the high damage potential of the Furnace Triad and the support from the eight launch. Full Cloak and Stealth combine to prevent other dreadnoughts from getting firing solutions on the Cthulu early on, giving a Cthulu ample opportunity to destroy most dreadnoughts before they get close enough to fire. The combination of high damage weapons, full cloak, stealth, and launch make this arguably the best dreadnought in the game. While a handful of others may equal the damage output, or have more survivability, none have such a broad array of capabilities. When combined with some choice cards from the Scourge Command Deck such as Engineered Anarchy to disrupt activation orders or Beast to make your Furnace Triad hit on 2+ few fleets can handle this ship without almost specializing for it.

When fielding a Dreadnought always be mindful of your opponent's high damage and swarm battlegroups. Although many Dreadnoughts thrive on a Weapons Free order, the Cthulu may need to use Change Course and Standard orders to line up the Furnace Triad and destroy priority targets.

**Matchups**

* **UCM:** The Furnace Triad has great potential to destroy ships in a single activation, but be mindful of which targets to prioritize. UCM counters may be New Cairo groups, Osaka groups, Perth/Avalon, and the London. These ships can be supported with Limas. Although spikes cannot be placed on the Cthulu while it has a functioning Full Cloak*,* the dreadnought's large Signature may still allow UCM ships to gain a firing solution. Of note, the UCM has several torpedo armed ships, and these can be a threat. 8 light torpedoes or 4 heavy torps will take the C'thulu out. Rome pairs are somewhat resistant to bomber runs and can lurk behind debris fields, Havana swarms can strike from way outside your threat range. These are prime targets for the rest of your fleet.
* **Scourge:** The Furnace Triad has great potential to destroy ships in a single activation but be mindful of which targets to prioritize. Scourge counters may be Yokai groups, the Akuma/Basilisk, or the Nosferatu. These ships may be supported with Shedus and Umbras. Although spikes cannot be placed on the Cthulu while it has a functioning Full Cloak*,* the dreadnought's large Signature may still allow Scourge ships to gain a firing solution.
* **PHR:** Although the Burnthrough of the Furnace Triad can cut through the armor of the target, the Lock value can be manipulated by PHR ships. Counters may be Electra/Pandora groups, Agrippas, Pompeiius, Heracles, Minos and Romulus. These ships and any weapons system with Calibre (H&S) are threats and should be dealt with accordingly. Agrippa and Calypso support needs to be delt with before the enemy gets within range of the Cthulu or the furnace triad will be neutered.
* **Shaltari:** Scald does modify Shaltari passive saves, so look to get the target of the Cthulu within its Scan range. This can be achieved utilizing the Full Cloak to mitigate its Signature. However, counters such as Mercuries, Hematites, Diamonds, and Plutoniums will attempt to outrange the Cthulu because to their better Scan and thrust. Four Mercuries can cause tremendous damage unless your dread has additional fighter support. Aquamarines will try to spin the dreadnought, ruining your shot.
* **Resistance:** Resistance dreadnoughts, grand battleships and battlecruisers will be high priority targets. These ships can be supported by ships with Detector and Telescope tokens from Galileos. Although spikes cannot be placed on the Cthulu while it has a functioning Full Cloak*,* the dreadnought's large Signature may still allow Resistance ships to gain a firing solution. XN-31, 9k and 10k rail gun batteries are very effective against dreads and the Resistance player can spam them across classes of ships. Triumvir placing box of scraps tokens on Colonizers is particularly difficult to deal with, as the Colonizer can already tank a hit from the Cthulu and can oneshot it in return. Swarms of Seneca are an underappreciated threat, as they can hide in atmosphere until the C'thulu comes to them.

**Synergies**

* Furnace Triad sniper role is enhanced by Active Scan orders from other ships allowing it to fire from further away, thus keeping it save from retaliation.
* Furnace Triad sniper role is enhanced by Flash from other Scourge Burnthrough weapon systems, such as those on the Ifrit or Incubus.

#### Nosferatu - Dreadnought

**Role: Firepower Dreadnought**

The Nosferatu is the epitome of a dreadnought, combining the firepower of two Akumas with the launch capacity of a Hydra. The combination of linked and the dreadnought rule lets the Nosferatu fire a significant amount of shots on silent running or standard orders, and the flexibility of front and side arc weapons make it easer to find targets then the more deadly C'thulu's F(n) furnace triad. The Nosferatu can easily output 10-11 damage on silent running orders between the Occulus Super Phalanx and one of the Beam Arrays, and with no signature, often it will have 3 turns of free shots before an opponent can get a targeting solution. Of the two dreads, the Nosferatu prefers to be more aggressive, using silent running to move up the table before going weapons free to fire all its Occulus weapons and get a round off from its deadly plasma flood, and using bombers to finish off any survivors, compared to the C'thulu's backline sniping.

**Matchups**

* **UCM:** The Oculus Beam Super Phalanx and one of the Beam Arrays will destroy most cruiser targets completely, and heavy cruiser/BC cruisers will be crippled. UCM counters may be New Cairo groups, Osaka groups, Perth/Avalon battlecruisers, or the London dreadnought. These ships can be supported with Limas or a Venice. Although spikes cannot be placed on the Nosferatu when it has a functioning Full Cloak*,* the dreadnought's large Signature may still allow UCM ships to gain a firing solution.
* **Scourge:** The Oculus Beam Super Phalanx has great potential to destroy ships in a single activation, but be mindful how to choose its targets. Scourge counters may be Yokai groups, Akuma/Bailisk battlecruisers, or another Nosferatu. These ships may be supported with Shedus and Umbras. Although spikes cannot be placed on the Nosferatu when it has a functioning Full Cloak*,* the dreadnought's large Signature may still allow Scourge ships to gain a firing solution.
* **PHR:** Although PHR currently lack a ship with Detector, do not underestimate the danger of being forced off of Silent Running. This can happen due to enemy Active Scan order, Ourania support, or being targeted by weapons systems that have Flash*.* Counters may be Electra/Pandora groups, Agrippas, Pompeiius, Heracles or Minos battleships, or the Romulus dreadnought. These ships alongside any Calibre (H&S) weapon system, are threats. Agrippa are powerful counters, as their field will hinder all the various occulus weapons. Target these ships first before the PHR are in range.
* **Shaltari:** Since Scald modifies Shaltari passive saves, be sure to get the Nosferatu's targets in Scan range. However, counters such as Mercury groups, Hematites, Diamonds and Plutoniums will attempt to outrange the Nosferatu thanks to their better Scan. Silicons will also attempt to apply Energy Surge tokens to prevent a Weapons Free order. Aquamarines will try to spin the dreadnought.
* **Resistance:** Resistance Grand Battleships and battlecruisers are your high priority targets. These ships can be supported by other ships with Detector or Telescope tokens from a Galileo. Although spikes cannot be placed on the Nosferatu while it has a functioning Full Cloak*,* the dreadnought's large Signature may still allow Resistance ships to gain a firing solution. The ease at which the Resistance can get Detector means that odds are, the Nosferatu will not be able to stay in silent running. In which case it may be a better plan to active scan with Scourge ships before the resistance can get into range.

**Synergies:**

* The Nosferatu's stealth shooting role is enhanced by Active Scan orders allowing it to fire from further away.
* Since most of the weapon systems on the Nosferatu are Oculus weapons, the Nosferatu can utilize an Oculus Booster Token from the Umbra
* The Nosferatu's firepower role can be enhanced by Flash from other Scourge Burnthrough weapon systems, such as the Ifrit and Incubus on a target.

#### Dragon - Battleship

**Role: Burnthrough Battleship**

The Dragon is a resilient ship for the Scourge fleet that can threaten enemies with its Furnace Fangs and diverse set of launch assets. A Weapons Free order will unleash its full firepower; however, a major spike cannot be avoided as the Dragon lacks a cloak*.* If it does survive to the Launch Assets step, the Dragon can utilize its torpedoes, bombers and fighters to full effect. The Dragon can operate on standard orders and use it's Furnace Fangs to good effect. The loss of 3 average damage from not firing the Occulus Beam Array is not a huge penalty given the exceptional performance of Scourge BTLs and the ease of lining up F(n) shots on standard orders. Standard orders will also drop the minor spike from launch each turn, keeping the ship's signature down. In a recent update the Scourge Battleships all had their sig normalized to 10", so they no longer have a larger signature then the UCM or PHR. This is a big benefit for the Scourge, as prior to that update they had the largest signatures at 14".

**Matchups**

* **UCM:** The Dragon's Furnace Fangs have great potential to deal high damage, but Dragons must make careful use of Silent Running orders or terrain to get targets into range while avoiding Active Scans or Flash weapons, as it lacks a cloak.
* **Scourge:** The Dragon's Furnace Fangs have great potential to deal high damage, but Dragons must make careful use of Silent Running orders or terrain to get targets into range while avoiding Active Scans or Flash weapons, as it lacks a cloak.
* **PHR:** Although Burnthrough of the Furnace Fangs can cut through Armour of the target, the Lock value can be manipulated by PHR ships. The larger Scan of PHR ships. You will need to remove enemy Calypso and Agrippas before targeting larger ships. Enemy Ourianas are also a target to prevent the long range sniping of rear line Hercules and Sarpadons.
* **Shaltari:** Since Scald does modify Shaltari passive saves look to getting the target of the Dragon in Scan range. However large Shaltari *Scan* means the Dragon will be outranged. This can be mitigated with careful use of SIlent Running orders and terrain.
* **Resistance:** Furnace Fangs has great potential to deal high damage, but Dragons must make careful use of Silent Running orders or terrain to get targets into range. The lack of Cloak makes it is vulnerable to multiple Active Scan orders and Telescope tokens. Use terrain and Silent Running orders to avoid being a target.

**Synergies:**

* Furnace Fangs weapons system range is improved by Active Scan orders from other ships.
* Furnace Fangs weapons system range is improved by Flash from other Scourge Burnthrough weapon systems from Ifrit, Raiju and Incubus ships.
* Parasites can absorb the energy spike from weapons free and max thrust orders, keeping the Dragon's signature down.

#### Daemon - Battleship

**Role: Firepower Burnthrough Battleship**

The Daemon is a resilient ship for the Scourge fleet with a lot of firepower. All three Oculus Beam weapon systems are Linked, can be fired on any order, and utilize the entire front arc, much like the UCM Beijing. Unlike the Dragon, the Daemon has a substantial array of Oculus weapons and thus wants to go weapons free to use both them and the Furnace Fangs. However, lining up a target for F(n) weapons on Weapons Free orders is difficult. The Oculus weapons will do more up front damage then the Furnace Fangs, so it's often better to fire those then the Fangs on standard orders when targeting Heavy Cruisers and below. In a recent update the Scourge Battleships all had their sig normalized to 10", so they no longer have a larger signature then the UCM or PHR. This is a big benefit for the Scourge, as prior to that update they had the largest signatures at 14".

**Matchups**

* **UCM:** Oculus Beam weapon systems have great potential to deal high damage, but Daemons must make careful use of Silent Running orders or terrain to get targets into range. The lack of *Cloak* makes it is vulnerable to multiple Active Scan orders and weapon systems with Flash. Use terrain and Silent Running orders avoid being a target.
* **Scourge:** Oculus Beam weapon system has great potential to deal high damage, but Daemons must make careful use of Silent Running orders or terrain to get targets into range. The lack of a cloak makes it is vulnerable to multiple Active Scan orders and weapon systems with Flash. Use terrain and Silent Running orders avoid being a target.
* **PHR:** Although Burnthrough of the Furnace Fangs can cut through Armour of the target, the Lock value can be manipulated by PHR ships. The larger Scan of PHR ships. You will need to remove enemy Calypso and Agrippas before targeting larger ships. The Daemon can allocate the furnace fangs to a big target and the Oculus shots to the Calypso, ensuring that the target will have to sacrifice the Calypsos. Enemy Ourianas are also a target to prevent the long range sniping of rear line Hercules and Sarpadons.
* **Shaltari:** Since Scald does modify Shaltari passive saves look to getting the target of the Daemon in Scan range. However large Shaltari Scan means the Dragon will be outranged. This can be mitigated with careful use of SIlent Running orders and terrain.
* **Resistance:** Oculus Beam weapon systems have great potential to deal high damage, but Daemons must make careful use of Silent Running orders or terrain to get targets into range. The lack of cloaking makes it is vulnerable to multiple Active Scan orders and Telescope tokens. Use terrain and Silent Running orders to avoid being a target. Resistance has a hard time with CAW and Full/Partial Cloaked ships. Those can often be used as stalking horses to keep the active scan assets focused on the closer ships then a 2nd wave Daemon. Just be aware that Resistance ships have some of the highest damage potential in the game in the Flag slots, so you cannot let them get the first shot in.

**Synergies:**

* Daemon's firepower range is improved by Active Scan orders from other ships spiking the intended target.
* Since most of the weapon systems contain the word "Oculus", the Daemon can utilize an Oculus Booster Token from the Umbra.
* Daemons firepower range is improved by Flash from other Scourge Burnthrough weapon systems from Ifrit and Incubus ships.
* Parasites can absorb the energy spike from weapons free and max thrust orders, keeping the Daemon's signature down.

#### **Beelzebub****- Battleship**

**Role: Firepower Burnthrough Battleship**

The Beelzebub packs a large, non burn through main weapon, the Mega Plasma Lance Battery, and some backup weapons. The MPL will average 5-6 damage on most targets, and can fire in the front or side arcs. The Beelzebub then is very flexible, almost like a UCM ship and much easier to use on weapons free orders then a Daemon, but otherwise operates in a similar manner. Its performance sits roughly between the Daemon and Dragon but with a slight discount.

**Matchups**

* **UCM:** TBD
* **Scourge:** TBD
* **PHR:** TBD
* **Shaltari:** TBD
* **Resistance:** TBD

**Synergies:**

* Beelzebub's firepower role is enhanced by Active Scan orders from other ships spiking the intended target.
* Since most of the weapon systems **DON'T** contain the word "Oculus", the Beelzebub **DOES NOT** get much help from an Umbra's Oculus token.
* Beelzebub firepower role is enhanced by Flash from other Scourge Burnthrough weapon systems from Ifrit and Incubus ships.
* Parasites can absorb the energy spike from weapons free and max thrust orders, keeping the Beelzebub's signature down.

#### **Devil - Battleship**

**Role: Hybrid Carrier/Battleship**

A hybrid with some heavy weapons and some launch, the Devil is not strictly a firepower based ship or a launch based ship, but a mix of both. It has less overall firepower then Beelzelbub, Daemon and Dragons, but additional launch capacity. It can operate on standard orders with good flexibility in firing arc. Compared to other fleets battleships the Devil is a lower cost, but lower damage option that tends to want to be within the 15" single bomber activation range and works best within the 16" threat range where it can bring its formidable CAW weapons and bombers into effect.

**Matchups**

* **UCM:** TBD
* **Scourge:** TBD
* **PHR:** TBD
* **Shaltari:** TBD
* **Resistance:** TBD

**Synergies:**

* Devil's firepower role is enhanced by Active Scan orders from other ships spiking the intended target.
* Since most of the weapon systems **DON'T** contain the word "Oculus", the Devil **DOES NOT** get much help from an Umbra's Oculus token.
* Devil firepower role is enhanced by Flash from other Scourge Burnthrough weapon systems from Ifrit and Incubus ships.
* Parasites can absorb the energy spike from weapons free and max thrust orders, keeping the Devil's signature down.

#### **Lucifer - Battleship**

**Role: Pocket Battleship**

Lacking the firepower of other battleships the Lucifer could be considered an inexpensive option that doesn't need special orders. Outputting a paltry 6 damage + launch each turn isn't that impressive. This ship is more a place to get more bulk for your fleets rather than damage. A key feature of the Lucifer is its speed. Thrust 12 means this ship is as fast, if not faster, than the frigates of most other fleets. Combined with its simple weapon loadout, it never needs weapon free orders and therefore can zip about the battlefield to deliver bombers into single thrust range (effectively 27"). Bomber attacks plus Oculus beams and plasma cyclones will do substantial damage if you can get within Scald range and your target has minimal PD. It works best in low points matchups where it can isolate and bully enemy heavy cruisers and battlecruisers and doesn't have to face more heavily armed battleships. It can work well with CAW focused fleets alongside Banshee, Shadows, Wyverns, etc, acting as a big scary battleship to draw attention away from the others.

**Matchups**

* **UCM:** TBD
* **Scourge:** TBD
* **PHR:** TBD
* **Shaltari:** TBD
* **Resistance:** TBD

**Synergies:** As support for a close action weapon based fleet (Banshees, Shadows, Wyverns, etc) this ship is big enough and threatening enough, to attract lots of fire, while being fast enough that your opponent is very limited in the amount of turns they have to fire. Use debris fields to screen your fleet till you can bring your offensive groups into scan range to attack on the same turn. Scourge close action weapons are some of the most dangerous weapons in the game and if your opponent is saturated with several battlegroups in a single turn they won't be able to focus them all down. Parasites are the main support ship, pulling spikes off the Lucifer from launch or special orders and thus buying time for it to get close to your opponent.

### Heavy Ships

#### Pungari Thresher - Hive Ship

**Role: Carrier**

A heavy tonnage ship available to every faction, the Pungari Thresher can launch bulk landers and bombers with the limitations that it cannot launch defense batteries and fighters. A solid Armour value combined the Reinforced Armour special rule means it can negate a lot of incoming fire but cannot return fire due to low Scan and average Thrust*.* In a Scourge fleet it is the only option for drop assets in the vanguard slot and is a very resilient fire magnet that can act as a follow up to Gargoyles or Chimera. Reinforced Armor" primarily hurts burnthrough weapons, as they now crit on +3 instead of +2. This means most lock 3+ BTLs (Shaltari have the only lock 2+ BTLS) will only crit 1/6 of the time, meaning that many more shots will instead be subject to armor saves. This ship is in a very contested spot in the Scourge list, competing with the popular Akuma and Raiju, and often requires your list to take that into account.

**Matchups**

* **UCM:** All the BTLs in the UCM will crit on a 6, making them much less effective vs. the Thresher. It can make a good anchor then for the rest of your fleet if you favor lots of cloaked and atmospheric ships.
* **Scourge:** If ships can get within Scald range, the Thresher has some issues, but still it is a very tough nut for long range Scourge fleets to crack, even with the exceptional furnace weapons.
* **PHR:** PHR troop ships operate in a similar manner to Thresher, and if you have ever envied them then this is your option to give the PHR a small taste of their own medicine. However the PHR also have good heavy calibre guns, which can sneak damage in through the armor.
* **Shaltari:** The Thresher is vulnerable to CAW, but somewhat better vs. Thermal Lance and particle weapons which both take a penalty due to the reinforced armor. The Shaltari can field a slightly better version of this ship however.
* **Resistance:** The Thresher operates in many ways just like Resistance ships, and thus the resistance player can field very similar designs. It won't give you a particular advantage over a resistance player aside from bringing its usual toughness to an otherwise squishy Scourge list.

**Synergies:**

* Lamassus can support Pungari Thresher's bulk landers with additional infantry or drop defence batteries while bombarding opponent controlled sectors
* Nickars can escort the Pungari Thresher to clusters and destroy enemy *Atmospheric* ships to reduce the ground assets

#### Raiju - Heavy Cruiser

**Role: Burnthrough Cruiser**

The Raiju is a Burnthrough heavy cruiser that's very comparable to its medium counterpart, the Ifrit. The increase in points from the Ifrit to the Raiju gives you the Stealth and Partial Cloak keywords, extra Hull points, and more shots on the Oculus Beam weapon systems, but a decrease in Thrust*.* In general, operating on standard orders with cloak will make this a very easy ship to use, and it's Furnace Cannon can leave ships damaged and partially spiked for attack by subsequent groups. The partial cloak limits the range other fleets, most notably the UCM and Resistance, can engage this ship with active scans.

**Matchups**

* **UCM:**
* **Scourge:**
* **PHR:**
* **Shaltari:**
* **Resistance:**

**Synergies:**

* Active Scan orders by other ships will extend this ships effective range.
* Parasites can only siphon a minor spike from the Raiju due to the Partial Cloak
* The Raiju's furnace cannon has flash, meaning if the target survives it will have a minor spike and thus be easier to target by other Scourge ships.

#### Shenlong - Heavy Cruiser

**Role: Firepower Cruiser**

The Shenlong is a heavy cruiser with a lot of Oculus Beam weapon systems, making it comparable to its medium cruiser counterpart, the Sphinx. The increase in points grants the Stealth and Partial Cloak keywords, extra Hull points, and more shots on the Oculus Beam weapons, but also comes with a decreased Thrust*.* Like most firepower ships of the Scourge, the Shenlong's Oculus weapon systems have front arcs. Although the Shenlong can fire a weapon system while on Silent Running orders, its full damage potential is only realized when it goes Weapons Free, usually doing 6 damage, enough to cripple many cruisers. Boosted by an Umbra it can expect to do 8 damage to ships with 3+ saves, crippling even heavy cruisers. Shenlongs do more damage per point then a Raiju or Akuma, but have a lower overall damage output than the Akuma.

**Matchups**

* **UCM:** Although the Shenlong can fire a weapon system while on Silent Running orders, it must try to predict and time an opportune moment to utilize its full potential. Even with a Partial Cloak, a minor spike can add significant range be mindful of Active Scan orders and Flash.
* **Scourge:** Although the Shenlong can fire a weapon system while on Silent Running orders, it must try to predict and time an opportune moment to utilize its full potential. Even with a Partial Cloak, a minor spike can add significant range be mindful of Active Scan orders, Flash and an Oculus Booster token from an Umbra.
* **PHR:** Since the PHR generally have a a higher Scan value, the Shenlong will want to use Silent Running orders and terrain to line up shots and maneuver into Scan range.
* **Shaltari:** Since Scald does modify Shaltari passive saves look to getting the Shenlong in Scan range. This will require careful maneuvering with Silent Running orders and terrain as the Shaltari will outrange the Shenlong with their higher Scan value.
* **Resistance:** Even with a Partial Cloak, a minor spike can add significant range be mindful of Active Scan orders and Telescope tokens. A Shenlong will want to get into Scan range to increase the probability of damaging the ships with Ablative Armour.

**Synergies:**

* Shenlong's firepower role is enhanced by Active Scan orders from other ships such as Shedus that can perform multiple Active Scan orders in an activation.
* Since most of the weapon systems contain the word "Oculus", the Shenlong can utilize an Oculus Booster Token from the Umbra.
* Shenlong's firepower role is enhanced by Flash from other Scourge Burnthrough weapon systems.
* Parasites can pull the minor spike off the ship from weapons free attacks.

#### Banshee/Manticore - Battlecruiser

**Role: Torpedo Brawler**

The Manticore is the Kickstarter exclusive version of the Banshee. When comparing the Banshee to its cruiser counterpart, the Wyvern, the increase in points translates to an increase in Hull and Point Defence, grants the Stealth and Full Cloak keywords, and upgrades the weapons to include an Oculus Beam Array and torpedos. The Banshee will never need a Weapons Free order, as it only has two weapon systems, which means it can fully exploit its cloak to stay safe. The torpedos can deal a large amount of damage and potentially apply Corruptor, but will require careful timing to use since launching them will put the ship back to normal Signature. As with most CAW oriented groups, try to co-ordinate your attack across multiple groups on the same turn. This can saturate the defense with too many targets to deal with and prevent your ships from getting focused down after their attack run.

**Matchups**

* **UCM:** The potential for high damage comes from the Banshees Close Action weapon system. However this can be mitigated by Point Defence, Aegis and fighter screens. Use terrain to maneuver to Scan range while mitigating incoming shots.
* **Scourge:** The potential for high damage comes from the Banshees Close Action weapon system. However this can be mitigated by Point Defence and fighter screens. Use terrain to maneuver to Scan range and mitigate incoming shots.
* **PHR:** The potential for high damage comes from the Banshees Close Action weapon system. However this can be mitigated by *Point Defence*, *Aegis* and fighter screens. Use terrain to maneuver to Scan range and mitigate incoming shots.
* **Shaltari:** By now we know that the Close Action weapons system is crucial for the Banshee's success be sure to carefully pick its target as the Banshee will be outranged. This will require using terrain and Silent Running orders.
* **Resistance:** Although the Point Defence of many Resistance ships is low, they do have the highest fighter bonus. They will use this to mitigate the damage from Close Action weapons

**Synergies:**

* Ships that can launch fighter/bombers can support a Banshee as it closes on its target. Bombers are nice but there are moments where fighters may be more useful, either to strip enemy fighters or to protect your own ships from Bombers.
* Distraction Carnifex: The Banshee can act as one, or benfit from one. For those unfamiliar, this is a Warhammer 40k term referring to having a big scary model running up the field distracting your opponent from the other dangers behind it. A Lucifer could act as a Distraction Carnifex for the Banshee, but the Banshee could be this for the lighter Wyvern and Stryx.

#### Akuma/Basilisk - Battlecruiser

**Role: Firepower Battlecruiser**

The Basilisk is the Kickstarter exclusive version of the Akuma. The Akuma is an upgrade from the Shenlong and makes it one of the highest potential damage heavy cruisers in the game. The increase in points translates to an increase in Hull, Point Defence*,* Full Cloak and additional shots with the Oculus Beam weapon systems. The additional shot from the Oculus Beam Phalanx offers the possibility of the Akuma to cripple cruisers while on a Silent Running order. On a Weapons Free order the Akuma has the potential destroy most other battlecruisers with a whopping 7 damage against a 3+ save ship. Shaltari without shields suffer around 9, which can easily put them on their last legs. Note the risk of having the Akuma hang back using it's full cloak is that your opponent will naturally focus fire on your more forward ships. Be careful not to feed your fleet in piecemeal.

**Matchups**

* **UCM:** Cruisers and Troopships will be priority targets for the Akuma since a solid volley may cripple these ships. UCM counters may be New Cairo groups, Osaka groups, Perth/Avalon, and the London. These ships can be supported with Limas or a Venice. Although spikes cannot be placed on the Akuma when it has a functioning Full Cloak the battlecruisers large Signature may still allow UCM ships to gain a firing solution.
* **Scourge:** Cruisers and Troopships will be priority targets for the Akuma since a solid volley may cripple these ships. Scourge counters may be Yokai groups and Akuma/Basilisk supported with Shedus or an Umbra. Also be mindful of Bomber swarms as they will outrange the Akuma.
* **PHR:** Crusiers and Troopships will be high priority targets but look to get assistance from other ships to completely destroy them due to PHR better Hull. Counters to the Akuma will include any ship that has a Calibre (H&S) weapon system, Agrippas, Pompieus. Although the PHR lack ships with Detector then may use an Active Scan order or weapons system with Flash in an attempt to outrange the Akuma. Also be mindful of bomber swarms as they will outrange the Akuma.
* **Shaltari:** Low Signature values on Shaltari ships will make it more difficult to stealth shot a ship. Look to using Silent Running orders and terrain to close the gap and not be outranged. Common counters may include Mecurys, Hematites and bomber swarms. Silicons may also try to apply Energy Surges to the Akuma preventing a Weapons Free order.
* **Resistance:** Akuma's Full Cloak will negate the spikes from an opposing Active Scan order but will not stop a Telescope token. Be mindful of frigate firepower groups that will out maneuver an Akuma.

**Synergies:**

* Akuma's stealth shot and firepower role is enhanced by Active Scan orders from other ships such as Shedus that can perform multiple Active Scan orders in an activation.
* Since most of the weapon systems contain the word "Oculus", the Akuma can utilize an Oculus Booster Token from the Umbra.
* Akuma's firepower role is enhanced by Flash from other Scourge Burnthrough weapon systems from Ifrit and Incubus ships.

#### Umbra Battlecruiser

**Role: Support Battlecruiser**

The Umbra is similar to the Banshee, but replaces the cloaking crest and torpedos with an Oculus Booster and fighter/bombers. The Oculus Booster provides once a turn support to any group that uses "Oculus" weapons systems by allowing said weapons to trigger the Scald rule even while outside of Scan range, and providing an additional +1 to the target's Armour value, making enemy saving throws nigh impossible. The booster works on every ship within 12" and within the Umbra's front arc, so long as the Umbra is on standard orders. This means the Umbra needs to get in the thick of things and shouldn't be alone. If possible, include other, scarier ships like a Nosforatu or Daemon such that your opponent's attention is placed elsewhere.

**Matchups**

* **UCM:** The Umbra will want to apply its token to high priority ships such as troopships, battlecruisers and dreadnoughts. Umbra will be vulnerable to bombers and Active Scan orders so utilize terrain to mitigate the damage.
* **Scourge:** Umbra will want to apply its token to high priority ships such as troopships, battlecruisers and dreadnoughts. Umbra will be vulnerable to bombers and Active Scan orders so utilize terrain to mitigate the damage.
* **PHR:** Umbra will want to apply its token to high priority ships such as troopships, battlecruisers and dreadnoughts. Umbra will be vulnerable to bombers and Active Scan orders so utilize terrain to mitigate the damage.
* **Shaltari:** Shaltari will prioritize the Umbra as the Scald does also modifies their passive saves. Common counters may be bombers and Active Scan orders. Careful use terrain to mitigate the damage.
* **Resistance:** Umbra will want to apply its token to high priority ships with Ablative Armour. Umbra will be vulnerable to bombers and Active Scan orders so utilize terrain to mitigate the damage.

**Synergies:**

* The Umbra will support any ship that has multiple "Oculus "weapon systems such as the Nosferatu, Daemon, Akuma, Sphinx and Yokais.
* Parasites can remove the spike from special orders.

#### Shadow Battlecruiser

**Role: Close Action Brawler**

The Shadow is similar to the Banshee but replaces the cloaking crest and torpedoes with a Magnetron Lash and fighter/bombers. The Magentron Lash is a weapon system with Mauler, making ships with good Armour values its preferred targets. It will need to be within Scan range to fire the Lash but can inflict plenty of damage if it's so lucky. The Lash will do 6 damage on average to 3+or better targets and combined with the Plasma Tempest and Occulus beam array it can quickly add up to an average of 11 damage even on 2+ armor targets. That is enough damage to cripple a PHR battleship in one turn. In addition, bringing scourge bombers into same turn activation ranges makes them much more effective as targets won't have time to shake them off.

**Matchups**

* **UCM:** Most UCM ships at medium tonnage or higher will have Armour values that make them ideal targets for the Magnetron Lash. However, the UCM's easy access to the Aegis keyword and launch assets can make getting value from the Lash tricky.
* **Scourge:** Scourge ships generally have worse Armour characteristics than their equivalents in other factions, reducing the value of the magnetron lash by a substantial margin. However, the Scourge also lacks ready fighter coverage and has nothing with the Aegis keyword, which gives the Shadow back some value.
* **PHR:** Most of the PHR's light ships have 3+ Armour values, meaning that the Shadow will never struggle to find targets for the magnetron lash. The lethality of the lash can also force PHR carriers to waste their launch assets on fighter coverage, denying them the opportunity to launch their powerful bombers; however, they do have access to Aegis, which can stymie the Shadow's ability to make its points back.
* **Shaltari:** The Shadow is probably worth leaving at home if you know you're up against the Shaltari - the best save in the fleet is a mere 4+, negating the magnetron lash's biggest advantage. That said, the Shadow can attempt to drown heavier ships in saves thanks to the large number of shots from both the magnetron lash and its plasma tempest, on top of the launch assets.
* **Resistance:** Any Resistance ship with Ablative Armour is an ideal target for the magnetron lash, as the higher Armour save it grants is offset by the higher number of crits that the lash can generate. However, the Resistance's extremely good fighters can cause problems for the Shadow, which means it'll need another ship to try and force the Resistance to use the fighter tokens early, or will have to target ships that lack fighter coverage. Provided the Shadow survives to the Launch Assets step, it can use its own fighters to clear enemy coverage. Larger Resistance ships like the Centurion, Phalanx and Trident are great targets given their low PD and 2+ saves.

**Synergies:**

* Escorts such as Djinns or Nickars can support the Shadow with destroying its target, as they all have potent Close Action weapons that can drown enemy ships through sheer volume of dice.
* Parasites can eat the spike for max thrust orders.

#### Kulshedra **Vilestar Carrier**

**Role: TBD**

An Experimental Cruiser added in 2022 and built from the standard cruiser sprue. The Kulshedra is a combination carrier and Close action ship, similar to the Shadow. It trades the mauler weapon for more launch but otherwise fills the same tactical niche of getting close and overwhelming an enemy's point defense.

**Matchups**

* **UCM:** TBD
* **Scourge:** TBD
* **PHR:** TBD
* **Shaltari:** TBD
* **Resistance:**TBD

**Synergies: TBD**

### Medium Ships

#### Yokai - Light Cruiser

**Role: Firepower Cruiser**

Similar to the Sphinx, but cheaper. The drop in points means the Yokai has lower Hull, Armour, and Point Defence characteristics when compared to its medium counterpart but an increase in Thrust*.* This means the Yokai is one of the fastest cruisers in the game, but its also one of the most fragile - it must rely on that extra speed to let it strike first, crippling or destroying its target before it can strike back. Failing to do so will likely see the Yokai be dispatched in short order. With an average of 6 damage, A pair are generally needed to destroy an average cruiser in a single activation.

**Matchups**

* **UCM:** A Yokai group can outmaneuver enemy dreadnoughts and deal a large amount of damage on a Weapons Free order. However, without a cloak, they can be vulnerable to Active Scan orders and or the Venice's Battlenet bonuses.
* **Scourge:** A Yokai group must carefully time when to engage its targets, especially if they have a cloak. Careful usage of terrain must be considered when engaging targets. Be mindful of Active Scan orders.
* **PHR:** Yokai group can outmaneuver enemy dreadnoughts and deal a large amount of damage on a Weapons Free order. However, without a cloak, they can be vulnerable to Active Scan orders, letting the enemy admiral pick them off one at a time.
* **Shaltari:** Yokai cruisers must carefully time when to engage their targets, since Shaltari ships benefit from tiny Signatures and comparable Thrust*.* Careful usage of terrain must be considered when engaging targets.
* **Resistance:** A Yokai group can outmaneuver the Resistance's grand battleships and deal a large amount of damage while on a Weapons Free order. However without a cloak, their high Signature makes them vulnerable to Active Scan orders and Telescope tokens. Sprinting into range to destroy enemy Galileos before they have a chance to apply the tokens can be a good idea to protect your heavier ships.

**Synergies:**

* The Yokai's firepower role is enhanced by *Active Scan* orders from other ships such as Shedus that can perform multiple Active Scan orders in an activation.
* Since most of the weapon systems contain the word "Oculus", the Yokai can utilize an Oculus Booster Token from the Umbra.
* Yokai's firepower role is enhanced by Flash from other Scourge Burnthrough weapon systems from Ifrit and Incubus ships.
* Parasites can eat the major spike for going weapons free, have the thrust to keep up, and will do exceptional damage after eating the spike.

#### Strix - Light Cruiser

**Role: Close Action Brawler**

The Strix is the light cruiser equivalent to the Wyvern and packs mostly Close Action weapons. As with the Yokai, the Strix has weaker Hull, Armour, and Point Defence characteristics versus its medium counterpart, but has better Thrust to compensate. Since the Strix's primary damage output is its Close Action weapon system, it has to maneuver into Scan range to inflict any damage but doesn't need a Weapons Free order to utilize all its weapon systems. Silent running is the order of the day then to approach enemy fleets without being shot to pieces.

**Matchups**

* **UCM:** The UCM's easy access to Aegis can mitigate the Close Action damage from the Strix, blunting their ability to sprint into range and drown a target in saves. Pick out targets that aren't protected by Aegis, or be sure to remove your opponent's Aegis ships before running your Strixes into range.
* **Scourge:** Stealthy shooting from partially or fully cloaked ships may cripple the Strix before it can get into range, so be sure to use terrain and Silent Running orders to mitigate the damage. Your speed advantage is mostly negated against an enemy Scourge player, so a carefully timed double activation of a Strix battlegroup may be necessary for them to find value.
* **PHR:** The Strix will be outranged by PHR Scan*.* Be sure to use terrain and Silent Running orders to mitigate the damage and avoid being in range
* **Shaltari:** The Shaltari's good Scan ranges and tiny Signatures can make it all but impossible for the Strix to get off its alpha strike. That said, a Strix that can close the gap successfully will be able to take out Shaltari vessels through volume of fire, especially since Scald makes their passive countermeasures weaker.
* **Resistance:** Resistance ships have poor Point Defense all around, meaning the Strix's Close Action weapons are all the more deadly against them. While the Resistance has great fighters, they can't deploy coverage over everything, allowing the Strix to find an unguarded target and zoom into range with its great thrust. Be mindful of Active Scan orders, as they will take advantage of the Strix's large Signature to destroy it.

**Synergies:**

* Strixes benefit from carriers that have fighters such as the Hydra or Revenant to negate enemy fighters so that they can maximize their Close Action damage potential.
* Parasites can eat the spike for using max thrust special orders.

#### Chimera - Troopship

**Role: Bulk Carrier**

The Chimera is a standard Scourge cruiser chassis with bulk landers. It has the highest Thrust of all troopships, but also largest Signature. When it launches its bulk landers, be certain support is near. Given its large thrust, it can rush to a central cluster to deploy defense batteries alongside troops, then flee and leave the cluster to Gargoyles to continue drop support in relative safety. However it is a prime target for enemy Cutters, which have the speed to overtake it and enough firepower to take it out.

**Matchups**

* **UCM:** Beware of Active Scan orders, Flash and Battlenet support, as the UCM player will try to exploit the Chimera's large Signature to acquire a firing solution.
* **Scourge:** Beware of Active Scan orders and Flash, as the Scourge player will try to utilize the Chimera's large Signature to acquire a firing solution. Bombers will also prioritize the Chimera as a target.
* **PHR:** Beware of Active Scan orders and Flash, as the PHR player will try to utilize the Chimera's large Signature and their own ships' large Scan to acquire a firing solution. Bombers will also prioritize the Chimera as a target.
* **Shaltari:** Beware of Active Scan orders, as the Shaltari player will try to utilize the Chimera's large Signature and their large Scan to acquire a firing solution.
* **Resistance:** Beware of Active Scan orders and Telescope tokens as they will try to utilize the Chimera's large Signature to acquire a firing solution.

**Synergies:**

* Nickar and Succubus ships escorting a Chimera can target opposing carries.
* Revenants can provide fighter support from opposing bombers.
* An Astrobotanical Lab can be a useful way to mask a minor spike on centerline and backfield clusters
* Parasites can eat spikes from max thrust and launch.

#### Hydra - Fleet Carrier

**Role: Carrier**

The Hydra is a standard Scourge cruiser chassis with a large complement of fighter/bombers. The bombers, combined with the thrust of a Hydra, makes them one of the carriers with the longest reach in the game. Adding Scald to the bombers also makes them one of the deadliest; that said, remember that launching assets will increase the Signature of a Hydra due to the added minor spike.

**Matchups**

* **UCM:** The Hydra's bombers have the potential to cripple cruisers, but be mindful of Aegis and enemy fighters.
* **Scourge:** Bombers have the potential to cripple cruisers but be mindful of enemy fighters. Active Scan orders and the Oculus Booster will try to outrange and destroy the Hydra
* **PHR:** Bombers have the potential to cripple cruisers but be mindful of Aegis and enemy fighters. Active Scan orders will try to outrange and destroy the Hydra
* **Shaltari:** Bombers have the potential to cripple cruisers and put the Shatari player in a predicament about whether to raise shields or not. Active Scan orders will try to outrange and destroy the Hydra
* **Resistance:** Be prepared to find a fine balance between bombers and fighters. Although Resistance fighters provide a large Point Defence bonus it only requires one fighter token to remove it. Baleares can potentially out range the Hydra, forcing you to choose to try and give yourself point defense or to target the Baleares in a case of mutually assured destruction.

**Synergies:**

* Hydras in a battlegroup tend to want to go with light tonnage ships so that it can quickly remove its spikes after launching craft in the previous game round (AKA Parasites).

#### Ifrit - Cruiser

**Role: Burnthrough Cruiser**

Ifrit is the standard order Burnthrough cruiser of the Scourge fleet. Although it has Oculus beams, it will likely never fire them unless a Weapons Free order is applied. The Furnace Cannon will add a minor spike on a target, making it easier to target for later groups, and often leave a corruptor token, but otherwise performance is similar to a UCM Cobra or PHR Supernova laser. The advantage of an Ifrit over the more damaging Sphinx lies in the orders. Ifrits do not need weapons free orders to fire the Furnace Cannons, making it easier to line up shots. BTLs are also slightly more effective vs. high armor ships like PHR and Resistance.

**Matchups**

* **UCM:** The Ifrit is useful for hunting opposing carriers, as it can utilize the spikes from their launches to achieve a firing solution. Counters would be Active Scan orders and Battlenet bonuses.
* **Scourge:** Achieving Scan range on a target can be brutal since Scald makes mediocre Scourge Armour even worse, but be mindful of Active Scan orders and Oculus Booster tokens.
* **PHR:** The Ifrit is useful for hunting opposing carriers, as it can utilize the spikes from their launches to achieve a firing solution. Counters would be Active Scan orders and enemy bombers.
* **Shaltari:** The Ifrit may take a longer time to get a target in range due to tiny Shaltari Signatures. Counters would be Active Scan orders and bombers.
* **Resistance:** Achieving Scan range on a target can mitigate Ablative Armour with Scald, but be mindful of Active Scan orders and Telescope tokens.

**Synergies:**

* The Ifrit can work as a support ship to Active Scan and Flash a target ship for another group consisting of Harpies or Scyllas.
* The Ifrit can be a firepower ship if it receives support from Active Scan orders from another ship or Flash from another Scourge furnace weapon, such as those wielded by the Incubus.

#### Wyvern - Cruiser

**Role: Close Action Brawler**

Wyvern is the standard order Close Action cruiser of the Scourge fleet. The potentially high Attack value of its plasma tempest, combined with the Scald rule, can deal some serious damage; that said, this damage may be mitigate by Point Defence, Aegis and enemy fighters. Thus, the Wyvern should prioritize targets with low Point Defence or ships that are already crippled. Wyverns should also make use of Silent Running orders and terrain to achieve Scan range on targets

**Matchups**

* **UCM:** The Wyvern is deadly against a cruiser with no support. Be mindful of Aegis and enemy fighter support. Since the Wyvern is most effective in Scan range, look for it to be outranged with Active Scan orders, Flash, or Battlenet bonuses
* **Scourge:** The Wyvern is deadly against a cruiser with no support. Since the Wyvern is most effective in Scan range, look for it to be outranged with Active Scan orders or Flash.
* **PHR:** Although the Wyvern is deadly at Scan range, PHR ships will outrange it with their larger Scan values.
* **Shaltari:** The Wyvern can put Shaltari ships in predicament about whether or not to raise shields. The Wyvern will be outranged by Active Scan orders, large Scan values and bombers.
* **Resistance:** The Wyvern has its best chance to shine against the Resistance, since many Resistance ships have weak Point Defence. Be prepared for return fire, or for enemy fighters to mitigate the incoming damage.

**Synergies:**

* A Wyvern in conjunction with a frigate group such as Djinns or Harpys may destroy a cruiser in a single activation.

#### Sphinx - Cruiser

**Role: Firepower Cruiser**

Sphinx is the baseline firepower cruiser. On a Weapons Free order its has the potential to destroy another cruiser, but has no Stealth or cloak and a large Signature, meaning that it must brace for a lot of return fire from other ships. This is a common theme with many Scourge ships, where careful timing can allow total destruction of an enemy battlegroup. It does not require lining up a F(n) shot, so its easier to use then some of the burnthrugh based ships.

**Matchups**

* **UCM:** On a Weapons Free order, there is a good probability that the Sphinx will cripple a medium tonnage ship; however it is vulnerable from spikes from Active Scan orders and Flash weapon systems.
* **Scourge:** On a Weapons Free order, there is a good probability that the Sphinx will cripple a medium tonnage ship; however it is vulnerable from spikes from Active Scan orders and Flash weapon systems.
* **PHR:** High PHR armour will make it more difficult from the Sphinx to deal a crippling amount of damage while on a Weapons Free order. Look to either get the Sphinx into Scan range or support it with other ships. Large Scan values and weapons systems with Flash will make the Sphinx outranged by returning firepower.
* **Shaltari:** Large Scan and Thrust values on Shaltari ships will make it easy for the Shaltari player to achieve a firing solution on the Sphinx. Use Silent Running orders and terrain to sneak into range of targets.
* **Resistance:** On a Weapons Free order, there is a good probability that the Sphinx will cripple a medium tonnage ship; however it is vulnerable to spikes from Active Scan orders. XN-31 armed resistance Cruisers can deal similar levels of damage to the Sphinx.

**Synergies:**

* A group of Shedus can use Active Scan orders to apply multiple spikes, allowing the Sphinx to use a Weapons Free order on the newly-lit target.
* A group of Incubi can Flash a target, allowing the Sphinx to finish it with a Weapons Free order.
* Since most of the Sphinx's weapon systems contain the word "Oculus," the Sphinx can utilize a Oculus Booster Token from the Umbra.
* Parasites can eat the major spikes and provide even more firepower.

### Light Ships

#### Revenant - Destroyer

**Role: Carrier**

The Revenant is an efficient destroyer carrier. The Thrust of Scourge Bombers give it a long threat range, and if an enemy ship is in Scan range the Revenant can deploy one of the most deadly Close Action weapons the Scourge have - the plasma storm. The Revenant does have a weakness - its large Signature only gets worse after it uses launch assets. This can be mitigated by use the optional Cloaking Crest which grants the ships a Partial Cloak and Stealth.

**Matchups**

* **UCM:** Bombers from have the potential to cripple cruisers but be mindful of Aegis and enemy fighters. Active Scan orders and the Battlenet will try to outrange and destroy the Revenant.
* **Scourge:** Bombers have the potential to cripple cruisers but be mindful of enemy fighters. Active Scan orders and the Oculus Booster will try to outrange and destroy the Revenant.
* **PHR:** Bombers have the potential to cripple cruisers but be mindful of Aegis and enemy fighters. Active Scan orders will try to outrange and destroy the Revenant.
* **Shaltari:** Bombers have the potential to cripple cruisers and put the Shaltari player in a predicament about whether to raise shields or not. Active Scan orders will try to outrange and destroy the Revenant.
* **Resistance:** Be prepared to find a fine balance between bombers and fighters. Although Resistance fighters provide a large Point Defence bonus it only requires one fighter token to remove it.

**Synergies:**

* Keeping the Strategy Rating low can give the Revenant time to remove spikes after using Launch Assets. If another class must join the battlegroup frigates such as Gargoyles or a Hiruko are solid choices.

#### Succubus - Destroyer

**Role: Firepower Destroyer**

The Succubus is built to counter ships in atmosphere. Although it has two Oculus Beams, it can only access both on a Weapons Free order. The stealth that the Cloaking Crest grants can be useful when approaching a cluster on Silent Running orders.

**Matchups**

* **UCM:** Succubi are useful for hunting New Orleans and Lysanders. Active Scan orders, bombers and the Battlenet will try to outrange and destroy the Succubus.
* **Scourge:** The Succubus will want to target Gargoyles or any other frigates in atmosphere. Active Scan order and bombers will try to outrange and destroy the Succubus.
* **PHR:** The Succubus will want to hunt down enemy Medeas. Active Scan orders and bombers will try to outrange and destroy the Succubus.
* **Shaltari:** The Succubus will want to target Voidgates and any other ships in Atmosphere. Active Scan orders and bombers will try to outrange and destroy the Succubus.
* **Resistance:** The Succubus will want to target Strike Carriers and other Atmospheric ships. Active Scan orders and bombers will try to outrange and destroy the Succubus.

**Synergies:**

* Keeping the Strategy Rating low can give the Succubus the ability to ensure its targets can be in Scan range. If another class must join the battlegroup, frigates such as Gargoyles or Hirukos are solid choices.

#### Incubus - Destroyer

**Role: Burnthrough Destroyer**

Although the Incubus has Oculus Rays, its likely to not use them unless a Weapons Free order is applied. It's primary role is to add spikes to targets via its Furnace Blaster. The blaster itself is comparable to other light BTL weapons like a Supernova on a Pandora or Particle Lance on a Jade, but with flash to spike targets. With cloaking crests the Incubus can often creep quite close to an enemy fleet and use their blasters to spike chosen targets for rear line Sphinx or Akuma. Resistance fleets are very vulnerable to ships with partial or full cloak.

**Matchups**

* **UCM:** The Incubus can serve a support role by Flash-ing targets. However with its narrow firing arc the Incubus must line up its shots carefully or take a spike changing course. Active Scan orders, bombers and Battlenet are all common counters.
* **Scourge:** Incubus can serve a support role with Flash. However with its narrow firing arc the Incubus must line up its shots carefully or take a spike changing course. Active Scan orders and bombers are all common counters.
* **PHR:** Incubus can serve a support role with Flash*.* Active Scan orders and bombers are all common counters.
* **Shaltari:** Incubus can serve a support role with Flash*.* Active Scan orders and bombers are all common counters.
* **Resistance:** Incubus can serve a support role with Flash. However with its narrow firing arc the Incubus must line up its shots carefully or take a spike changing course. Active Scan orders and bombers are all common counters.

**Synergies:**

* A group of Incubi can have one Active Scan a target, then have another Flash it to upgrade the minor spike to a major. This enables another firepower or Burnthrough ship to take advantage of the newly-lit target.

#### Hiruko - Boarding Cutter

**Role: Ram Ship**

The Hiruko is a suicide ramming ship that's dirt cheap and has the potential to hit well above its weight while doing so. The plasma torch it's equipped with is a reasonable weapon for its point cost, but Hirukos should be trying to close the gap and ram enemies over taking shots - D3 Lock 4+ D1 shots aren't nearly as impressive as 4 Lock 3+ hits with Corruptor. Take them in big groups and fling them at the enemy to draw firepower.

**Matchups**

* **UCM:** Hirukos will want to target cruiser and destroyers to maximize their effect.
* **Scourge:** Hirukos will want to target cruisers and destroyers to maximize their effect.
* **PHR:** Hirukos will want to target cruisers and destroyers to maximize their effect.
* **Shaltari:** Hirukos will want to target cruisers and destroyers to maximize their effect.
* **Resistance:** Hirukos will want to target cruisers and destroyers to maximize their effect.

**Synergies:**

* Hirukos are generally nice as a way to fill out points in a list that's just a little under the cap. These can escort any other group and will generally want to act last.

#### Nickar - Hunter-Killer

**Role: Close Action Brawler**

The Nickar excels at targeting ships in the atmosphere, with potential to deal high damage with its D6 shot Close Action weapon. A notable difference the Nickar has from the other faction's corvettes is that it does not have Outlier, meaning that these ships are best taken by themselves in a battlegroup or alongside other ships that want to play to clusters.

**Matchups**

* **UCM:** Nickars will want to target New Orleans and Lysanders when then enter atmosphere, but must be aware of any Santiagos that are escorting the carriers. Battlenet-supported Santiagos may outrange Nickars.
* **Scourge:** Nickars will want to target Gargoyles and any other ships in atmosphere.
* **PHR:** Nickars will want to target Medeas when they enter atmosphere, but will have to respect any Echoes escorting the carriers - they have superior Scan and more firepower than the Nickar, making for a lopsided matchup.
* **Shaltari:** Nickars will want to target Voidgates and other ships when they enter atmosphere. Charged Atmosphere weapons systems, bombers and the Glass may outrange the Nickar.
* **Resistance:** Nickars will want to target Strike Carriers when then enter Atmosphere.

**Synergies:**

* Nickars can fill out points in a fleet, either by being taken alongside your own strike carriers for insurance or as their own battlegroup.
* Small group of Nickars escorting a Firepower or Burnthrough cruiser can provided the extra damage to finish a crippled ship.

#### Gargoyle - Strike Carrier

**Role: Dropship Carrier**

Gargoyles are the dropship platform of the Scourge. Their high Thrust means they can arrive at a centerline cluster quickly, or reposition to take a backline cluster as needed. Though their Point Defense is slightly higher than the equivalents of other factions, the Scourge's generally-terrible armor doesn't do you any favors, meaning that you'll have to rely on their high speed to keep them safe.

**Matchups**

* **UCM:** Santiagos and Kievs will attempt to counter Gargoyles, especially if they have Battlenet support.
* **Scourge:** Nickars and Succubi will attempt to counter Gargoyles.
* **PHR:** Echos and Jasons will attempt to counter Gargoyles.
* **Shaltari:** Charged Atmosphere weapon systems and Glass will attempt to counter Gargoyles.
* **Resistance:** Munifexes will prioritize Gargoyles as targets.

**Synergies:**

* Gargoyles will want to join battlegroups with low Strategy Ratings to remove their spikes from launching quickly.

#### Scylla - Frigate

**Role: Firepower Frigate**

Like most Core Rulebook Scourge frigates, the Scylla has a large Thrust and is atmospheric. Unlike other Scourge frigates however, its primary weapon system requires the target to be in a layer higher than the Scylla, making it perfect for camping in atmo near clusters. This strategy does have its downsides however, as your positioning must be carefully thought out - repositioning the Scylla in later turns may mean that Reverse-Grav Cannon won't have targets.

**Matchups**

* **UCM:** Scyllas can be used to target backfield cruisers or defend clusters to claim critical locations. Common counters may be Santiagos or Kievs
* **Scourge:** Scyllas can be used to target backfield cruisers or defend clusters to claim critical locations. Common counters may be Nickars or Succubi.
* **PHR:** Scyllas can be used to target backfield cruisers or defend clusters to claim critical locations. Common counters may be Echos or Jasons
* **Shaltari:** Scyllas can be used to target backfield cruisers or defend clusters to claim critical locations. Common counters may be the Glass.
* **Resistance:** Scyllas can be used to target backfield cruisers or defend clusters to claim critical locations. Common counters may be Munifexes.

**Synergies:**

* A group of Shedus can use Active Scan orders to apply multiple spikes and allow the Scyllas to target from the atmosphere.
* A group of Incubi can apply Flash to a target and allow the Scyllas to target from the atmosphere.

#### Charybdis - Frigate

**Role: Bombardment**

The Scourge's only dedicated bombardment platform. The Charybdis's has the ability to bombard from atmosphere, keeping it relatively safe while it does so. However, its relatively weak bombardment on an individual level means you'll have to take large groups.

**Matchups**

* **UCM:** Santiagos and Kievs will attempt to counter Charybdis, especially if they have Battlenet support.
* **Scourge:** Nickars and Succubi will attempt to counter Charybdis.
* **PHR:** Echos and Jasons will attempt to counter Charybdis.
* **Shaltari:** Charged Atmosphere weapon systems and Glass will attempt to counter Charybdis. Be prepared for a Warspire Nexus card to be played.
* **Resistance:** Munifexes will prioritize Charybdis as targets.

**Synergies:**

* Charybdis groups can be escorted with Nickars to counter opposing Air-to-Air weapon systems

#### Djinn - Frigate

**Role: Close Action Brawler**

A low strategy rating and high Thrust makes the Djinn the quickest Close Action ship of the Scourge fleet. A single Plasma Storm weapon system has the potential to cripple a cruiser, but as with all Close Action weapons can only be fired within Scan range and can be mitigated by Point Defence, meaning its average value is significantly lower unless taken in larger groups for focus-firing.

**Matchups**

* **UCM:** Djinns are deadly against a cruiser with no support. Be mindful of Aegis and enemy fighter support. Since Djinns are most effective in Scan range look for it to be outranged with Active Scan orders, Flash*,* bombers and the Battlenet bonuses
* **Scourge:** Djinns are deadly against a battlecruiser with no support. Since Djinns are most effective in Scan range look for it to be outranged with Active Scan orders, bombers and Flash*.*
* **PHR:** Djinns are deadly against a cruiser with no support. Be mindful of Aegis and enemy fighter support. Since Djinns are most effective in Scan range look for it to be outranged with Active Scan orders, Flash, and bombers.
* **Shaltari:** Djinns can bait Shaltari ships to raise shields, but be mindful of fighter support. The good Point Defence of Shaltari vessels makes focus-fire key. Shaltari players can also try to outrange Djinns with Active Scan orders and bombers.
* **Resistance:** The generally lackluster Point Defense of Resistance ships means that Djinns have a better chance to shine here than against most other factions. That said, the Resistance can mitigate the damage with their superior fighters, or pick off the Djinns in advance with Active Scan orders.

**Synergies:**

* Groups of three or more can hunt cruisers.
* Can serve as escorts to firepower and burnthrough ships to finish targets.

#### Harpy - Frigate

**Role: Firepower Frigate**

Harpy is the baseline frigate of the Scourge. It has a large Thrust and is Atmospheric*.* Harpies can be used to hunt destroyers and frigates at medium range. They will either have to wait in atmosphere or close the range using their Thrust and terrain

**Matchups**

* **UCM:** Harpies will want to target destroyers, frigates and monitors. Common counters would be bombers, Active Scan orders and the Battlenet.
* **Scourge:** Harpies will want to target destroyers, frigates and monitors. Common counters would be bombers and Active Scan orders.
* **PHR:** Harpies will want to target frigates such as Pandoras or an escorting Calypso. Common counters would be bombers and Active Scan orders.
* **Shaltari:** Harpies will want to target Opals and Silicons. Common counters would be to raise shields, bombers and Active Scan orders.
* **Resistance:** Harpies will want to target Heavy frigates before they close in. Common counters would be bombers and Active Scan orders.

**Synergies:**

* Harpies can escort a burnthrough cruiser or battleship to Active Scan targets

#### Lamassu - Barge

**Role: Bulk Lander Carrier**

With both a bulk lander and some bombardment a Lamassu can support control over a cluster, following closely after an early gargoyle rush. The bombardment ensures that the Lamassu can always target enemy defense batteries to ensure that the bulk lander can drop all its cargo on a sector. While slow by Scourge standards the Lamassu doesn't need to arrive first. Bombardment combined with the bulk lander can often compensate for a later arrival, and thus allow the Lammasu to arrive after Nicar have swept enemy corvettes and strike carriers from a cluster. The slow speed can be a benefit, as your opponent will often prioritize other ships that are in more threatening positions then this smaller ship approaching a side cluster.

**Matchups**

* **UCM:** Beware of Active Scan orders, Flash and Battlenet support as they will try to utilize the Lamassu's large Signature to acquire a firing solution.
* **Scourge:** Beware of Active Scan orders and Flash as they will try to utilize the Lamassu's large Signature to acquire a firing solution. Bombers will also prioritize the Chimera as a target
* **PHR:** Beware of Active Scan orders and Flash as they will try to utilize the Lamassu's large Signature and their large Scan to acquire a firing solution. Bombers will also prioritize the Chimera as a target
* **Shaltari:** Beware of Active Scan orders as they will try to utilize the Lamassu's large Signature and their large Scan to acquire a firing solution.
* **Resistance:** Beware of Active Scan orders and Telescope tokens as they will try to utilize the Lamassu's large Signature to acquire a firing solution.

**Synergies:**

* Lamassus can join battlegroups that have a Hydra, Revenants or an Umbra as theny tend to stay in the backfield longer

#### Shedu - Monitor

**Role: Firepower Monitor**

Comparatively slow for a Scourge vessel, the Shedu is largely reliant on close action weaponry. This makes it a tough to use, as most of the time anything that makes it past your faster ships to the point that the Shedu can engage is not going to worry about the tiny ship. Still, the main Oculus Beam Crest has comparable damage potential to other monitors such as the Resistance Newton or UCM Istanbul, and the Shedu has a slightly better than average scan. Shedu can still do some work as part of an active scanning group, just pair them with a frigate group like Harpies to add an additional minor spike to a target, but generally they are too slow to keep up with most other Scourge formations.

**Matchups**

* **UCM:**
* **Scourge:**
* **PHR:**
* **Shaltari:**
* **Resistance:**

**Synergies:**

* Shedus and an Umbra pair well since the Oculus Beam Crest can utilize the Oculus Booster token