Bad TheoryHammer: Cadre Mercenaries

 Bad TheoryHammer:  Cadre Mercenaries

(Image Credit:  GW)

Alright, this is probably going to be a little bit short.  Sorry.  I really love Kroot in general.  In fact, WAY back in the day (I don't remember the edition), GW released rules for an entire Kroot army in a White Dwarf and I had an admittedly small force of Green Kroot (Kroot who ate a bunch of Orks and were tougher as a result).

I'll start with a bit of background, because Kroot are a bit less well-known than other factions in Kill Team.  Kroot are an avian species that has been "adopted" by the T'au into their ranks (mind-controlled more like, but whatever, we'll get to the T'au later).  They have a distinct knack for what we would think of as cannibalism:  they eat people, and things that look like people, and they incorporate some of their traits into their own bodies.  Basically, they are what they eat.  For the T'au, they provide scouts and some modicum of close combat support.

In Kill Team, the Cadre Mercenaries are a serious sleeper faction, by which I mean a lot of people are sleeping on them.  They require a lot of finesse to play, but they pay off in dividends when someone who is good can play them.

All Kroot have Master of Camouflage, giving them a bonus armor save if they are in cover.  So you're probably going to want to keep them in cover as much as possible.

Now, I'm going to be completely honest with you here.  Your Roster as a Cadre Mercenaries player is pre-determined.  So I'm just going to post it right now and then we will get into everything else.  Here's the only Roster you will ever need:

The Only Roster You Will Ever Need

Kroot Carnivore (Leader)

12x Kroot Carnivores (Warrior)

1x Krootox

4x Kroot Hound

That's it.  That's all you need.  You literally cannot take anything else.  It's not like they give you a lot of options or anything.  That's a full roster of 13 Carnivores and all the other options allowed as well.  Plain and simple.  Done!

So let's get into the Operatives.

Operatives

Kroot Carnivore Leader

(Image Credit:  GW)

Your leader is your leader.  You're going to take one (yes, I know, I used a Shaper for the image here.  It works well and it actually makes the Leader distinct.)  The Leader is a little tougher and a little better at fighting than the normal Warriors, but really doesn't bring much else to the table.  Still, you're going to take him, because you don't have a choice!

Quick note:  Don't put a Hunting Rifle, Trophy Pistol, or Skinning Knife on him, because then you're sacrificing his better stats with the normal Rifle and Blades.

Kroot Carnivores

(Image Credit:  GW)

These are your basic dudes.  Again, they benefit pretty greatly from cover, but they are still kinda Guard-Equivalent.  Hunting Rifles on two of them is always a good idea (more on that later), but these are your objective holders and the like.  While not having the most attacks up close, they are surprisingly punchy, and they become rather resilient when defending an objective while in cover.

Kroot Hounds

(Image Credit:  GW)

Look at their cute widdle faces!  Don't you just wanna cuddle them?

Hounds are...  well, they're freaking amazing, but they can also be a trap in certain situations.  They are the Kill Team definition of Distraction Carnivore--expect your opponent to spend an inordinate amount of attention to killing them.  They are your torpedoes, and they are actually some of the best in the game at that, because they are, quite literally, the "baseline" fastest Operatives in the game.  They're no slouch up close either, but you know, if you survive two close combats, you've probably won the game already.

So why can they be a trap?  Put simply, they can't do Mission Actions.  That really puts a damper on things, because the good boys can't punch in numbers on a datapad or whatnot.  If you take four of them and a Krootox, that only leaves seven Carnivores to do your objectives.  Sometimes that can be bad.

That said, I love them and they are very good boys and you should take them.

Krootox

(Image Credit:  GW)

FIRST THINGS FIRST!  I want to show you an amazing little conversion a guy who goes by Zawaga on the Kill Team University Discord did for his very own Krootox-equivalent!

(OH LAWD HE COMIN'!  Image Credit:  Zawaga.  Used with permission now and I fixed their name!)

You have to take a Leader.  You are going to take a Krootox.  I don't even know why I have 12 Carnivores in the Roster, aside from giving every option available.  I cannot even think of a time where you would not take a Krootox.

Sure, they count as two Operatives (they kind of are two Operatives), but you get a big, beefy gun and some big, beefy fists on a big, beefy boy.  And while the Krootox doesn't have Master of Camouflage, it naturally has a 4+ save anyway, so who cares?

Your opponent will try to take this thing out, but it is nearly as beefy as a Tyranid Warrior and can take some punishment.  This means that your Carnivores are ready to grab objectives and do their own thing.

Equipment

Man, this is going to be pretty quick.  No offense meant, but the way I see it, there's really only a few options (well, there are really only a few options, but you know what I mean) for Kroot here.

The Hunting Rifle is a strict upgrade to a Kroot Rifle.  I'd personally take two in just about any Kroot Kill Team I was running.

Sure-Foot Charm lets you turn one set of Carnivores (or whatever you want, for the most part, but note it can't go on a Hound, but it can work on a Hound) into GA2.  Note that you can put this on a Krootox, since it doesn't say that they can't get Equipment.  I'd just rather load it onto my two Snipers and put them together on a nice vantage point to plink away at enemies.

Trophy Pistol is situationally useful.  I don't rate it super-highly.  That doesn't mean that I'm right here, and I'm sure some people really like it and will defend it.

Bolas are one thing that I just don't like.  I don't like spending my AP to limit yours.  That's me, though.

Ploys

Kroot have...  interesting ploys, put simply.  A Perfect Ambush is pretty much always going to be used so you can start the game with everyone Concealed and then flip to Engaged if you need to shoot something.  Patient Stalkers means that for 1 CP, your Kroot get the Kommandos' special rule, which is REALLY nice (especially for the Hounds).  Hunting Call means that, again, for 1 CP, all your melee operatives get Balanced effectively.  I'm not a huge fan of Fieldcraft because, well, it's 1 AP to use it.

A Gory Feast is healing, and healing is OP in Kill Team.  Use it.  Keep in mind that adding 1 APL won't give you another action point to spend during said activation (they are determined upon activation unless otherwise specified), but will make your Operative 3 APL for contesting objectives.  It also means that you have a very good chance of getting into another slapfight with said Operative.

And finally, we have OH YEAH!  Oh, wait, I mean Brute Strength.  Kool-Aid Man your Krootox through terrain, over enemy Operatives, MUNDO GOES WHERE HE PLEASES!  It's a lot of fun.

Stratagems

Well, you can't take Security, so I guess Recon is a good idea.  You're definitely one of the more mobile Kill Teams, so it isn't so bad, and you want to play over on your opponent's side of the field for the most part.

...I'm not doing a sample Kill Team here.  It's pretty obvious what you're going to take.  Fine, fine, I'll do it, just to say I did it.

Sample Kill Team (Because I have to, I guess)

Leader

Krootox (Counts as 2)

4x Hounds

2x Carnivore  (2x Hunting Rifle, 1x Surefoot Charm)

4x Carnivore

There, are you happy now?