General description:
The AT-ST, or chicken walker, is a very interesting piece. It appeared briefly in The Empire Strikes Back, then had a much bigger role in Return of the Jedi. Like in the movies I expect its use to increase as more sets come out.
At first look you see one thing on the stat card 40 DAMAGE!!!! The 40 Damage is amazing. It also has double attack, which means that you could deal 80 damage to a single person. You see that and you rush to put this piece in your army. Then you look closer and you see a couple things that cause you to take a step back.
The defense is fairly week at 14, though it has mobile attack (which would mean that you have to give up an attack). It does have damage reduction 10, which is nice because that ups the 14 defense a little.
The really bad thing about this piece is the +8 attack, which for a 54 point piece is really bad. They did get grenades 20, but when you deal 40 damage (or 80 damage on a double) you are not going to use grenades too often.
With this low defense and low attack why would I ever use this piece?
Well the answer to that question is very simple... there are enough support pieces now to make the AT-ST the monster piece we all thought it would be.
Uses:
Never use the AT-ST as a support piece (never really add any 54 point piece as a support piece). Unless you are doing a rather large game (like 400+) if you use AT-STs build your squad around them.
Strategies and game play:
The AT-ST can be a great piece if you build your squad around them. Of course the main figure to add to any empire squad is of course Mas Amedda. For only 8 points you have started to make the AT-ST a beast.
The first commander you should add is Thrawn, now the AT-ST is attacking +11, which is much better. Its defense is now 17, which is a little low for a 54 point piece. Of course damage reduction kind of makes up for that.
Your opponent knows that you can deal 80 damage in a single blow to their big guns, so they are not stupid... they are more than likely going to throw a lowly figure in front of their big gun and make you waste your 40 damage on a guy that has only 10 hit points. The next commander that is a must is General Veers. Veers will give the AT-ST accurate shot, which means that you can now shoot at whoever you want (baring stealth).
Pre-Bounty Hunters using AT-STs was pretty much reserved for very large games. With its low attack the only way to hit anything big was to combine fire and the only way to combine fire was by adding Palpatine, Sith Lord and Clone Gunners. Palpy is 62 points, so to add an 8 point Gunner you have to add a 62 point piece, which means that unless you play a 300, 400, 500+ game it is not even worth taking the AT-ST. Now that bounty hunters has come out we have one of my new favorite pieces... The Weequey Thug, which is a 6 point gunner. Now for 12 points you can add two gunners to each AT-ST and you can combine fire. Another great commander to add is Baron Fel, at 18 points you get +6 for each person combining fire.
Other great commanders to use are the Stormtrooper commander (which could add +10 to the damage, now your AT-ST is doing 100 damage, enough to wipe out 90% of the figures out there), Imperial Officer (giving the AT-ST a third attack). Plus either Lord Vader (gives +10 damage against people who haven't attacked yet... yeah that means if all goes will you can get three attack for 180 damage). Also it is more risky, but Champions of the Sith gives you +10 damage and +4 attack, but if you miss you lose your AT-ST.
Combos with other miniatures:
Like I like to use two AT-STs, and give them both two gunners. Then add some or all (if you can) of the commanders mentioned above. Also if you have points I would try to add BoShek. He gives you an extra gunner and he can do industrial repair. If you can also add an Ikotchi Tech Specialist. Which will give you more repair and door control. Tarkin could be good too, so you can slow down your activations or speed them up if you want. If you are playing a big game, maywant to think about adding a bantha, so you can get an AT-ST into someplace that it can't squeeze (with the Thrawn switch).
Ways to counteract it:
The best way to counter act it is to pick a good map. Mustifiar, any of the Hoth, or Korriban you are in trouble. Win a good map that the AT-ST has to come to you. If the AT-ST has to move not only will it lose its double attack, but probably lose its gunners too.
Also I would leave them alone and try to take out the commanders and Mas. Each commander that dies kills the AT-ST a little bit inside each time.
Get some accurate shooters and take out the gunners and the commanders. Also use some meat shields to protect those big guns in your squad.
Strengths/Pros:
Of course the 40 damage is a huge plus, not to mention that it is a follower, so you can commander it up. Being in the Empire doesn't hurt anything. Damage Reduction is always good too.
Weaknesses/Cons:
The weakness is that to get the most out of an AT-ST you need to stay put and attack. Any good player will not let you do that. Being a huge figure makes moving anywhere that much harder, not to mention it is rigid, so opponents will probably leave them alone and go after everyone else first. Plus some Jedi could kill an AT-ST in a turn or two.
Artwork and aesthetics:
I like the two different sculpts, and I like how they are different. The AOE sculpt is cool, but I think I like the Universe one better.
Overall rating:
Here are my ratings (out of 5)
100 1
150 2
200 3
300+ 5
Sculpt 3
Miniature Trading
