Kentucky Dan's Comprehensive Guide to the Pyke Syndicate

Welcome to my blog! If this is your first time here then I would ask that you quickly pause and read my intro so as to better acquaint yourself with what is going on up in here.

Today's article is about listbuilding with the Pyke Syndicate, or as I like to think of them, the heart and soul of the Shadow Collective. I'm primarily going to focus on listbuilding them within the confines of the Shadow Collective battleforce. If you're looking to drop them into a different faction as mercenaries then I would encourage you to read on regardless because some of these concepts will still apply to you. If they don't apply to your listbuilding whatsoever then perhaps you can better understand your opponent's list the next time you face Shadow Collective Pykes.

This is the first article I am publishing because it is what is hitting the closest to home for me. I've spent the last twelve months putting in some serious reps with Pykes and due to my well-spent time I've come to hold some opinions that will be evident in this article. You are welcome to disagree, but just know that you are wrong. I'm also combining both the Capo unit and Foot Soldier unit together in this article, so it is going to be somewhat lengthy. I apologize but hope you find it worth reading.

After a brief expose’ on the unit I will break this article into three sections and then follow it up with synergies I think are worth considering. These sections are:

1) Listbuilding decisions that you should be making. These are what I would consider to be the optimal builds for a unit and the best way to invest your 800 points. If you're looking to do well with your list and do it "right" then you should start here.

2) Listbuilding decisions that are "neat." This section will be comprised of build choices that are either sub-optimal (but not terrible) or that offer fun and interesting interactions that may not be obvious at face value. The options presented here could easily be part of a tournament winning list, but probably shouldn't comprise the entirety of it. Neat "one-offs" that offer great value can often distract or surprise your opponent and give you an edge that did not exist previously. Alternatively they may provide solutions to issues that your list struggles with or simply "budget" versions of other entirely different units.

3) Listbuilding decisions that you should not be making. These are the decisions that I don't make and won't advocate for you to make either. While I am by no means infallible, I do believe these are the decisions that cost you games. You've only 800 points to spend in an army; don't waste them on prodigal decisions that hamper your ability to respond to your opponent. I won't cover every poor decision you could be making, but I will cover those that I see others making and advocating for that I disagree with.

Expose’

The Pyke Syndicate is in a unique position compared to many other corps/commander options because it was developed from the ground up to be a self-contained mercenary unit. It also benefits from being one of the newer units in the game which means that it is free from some of the "mistakes”' that older units tend to have. (Yes I am aware that they were released over-tuned, but what I'm referring to here is the unit's internal balance, not its place in the meta.) When you view the Shadow Collective battleforce as a whole you will notice that the developers managed to pack many (but not all) of the keywords/tools found in other factions into the limited roster which it is comprised of. At a later date I will release an article on the challenging puzzle of listbuilding with the Shadow Collective battleforce, but for now let's return to the task at hand by looking at the Pyke unit cards.

I started with the Pyke Syndicate Foot Soldiers because these guys are the ones who will actually be doing the work. Admittedly their unit card is a bit of keyword-soup, but those words basically boil down into two rules: Don't get ordered and don't get panicked. If they do get panicked Self-preservation means they can only use the courage of friendly Capos, who's courage value is a lowly 2. Pykes cannot get access to a higher courage value so you need to factor this into your listbuilding. Whether that means bringing Capos and other commanders with the Inspire keyword or bringing Capos as personnel upgrades is a decision you'll have to make in each list you build. Please note that their price has been increased from 40 points to 44 points.

The defensive keywords on their card can often be seen as misleading by promising a bright future where they are never touched by enemy fire. This is not necessarily the truth. While they do love to spend their dodges they are just like every trooper in this game, they die under sustained fire. Dodges can only be spent once, and after the first attack you are suppressed and dodgeless. Pykes may have Danger Sense but they still don't like suppression. Danger sense is all fine and dandy, but whether you have courage 1 or 2 you will still be suppressed and lose actions once this ability is triggered to its fullest extent. Any rebel player will tell you that if you are relying on danger sense to bail you out, you've already made a mistake. Danger sense 2 at its best has a 66% chance of finding you another single save on defense. While this can sometimes save your bacon (or your filet if you're a fishy Pyke man) don't be charmed into thinking you're going to save on defense as well as a storm or clone trooper unit, you'll lose that gunbattle if you aren't playing smart.

Before we move onto the Capo I need to point out their melee profile. It's terrible. While mathematically it's identical to that of a rebel or clone trooper (2 white dice produces the same amount of hits as 1 black die) you will be let down if you're trying to tango with the Stun Batons. If you aim and then punch in melee you will realize that spending an aim token on white dice is extremely disappointing. They are, after all, Stun Batons, not Kill Batons. On the less dreary side, dodges and Danger Sense still work in melee. But if your opponent has engaged your Pykes in melee they are likely doing so with units that not only excel in close quarters combat but likely have brought pierce. There is no cover in melee, and Pykes (like rebel troopers) need cover to survive.

The Pyke Capo is an essential part of making Pyke Foot Soldiers "work." The Capo shares many of the same keywords that his corps brethren do, but with one major exception: Outmaneuver. This keyword makes the Pyke Foot Soldiers capable of gunline battles, and its absence is the reason Pyke Capos need to stay hidden. A Capo is very susceptible to being bounty hunted and if you push too far forward with these officers they can easily melt under fire from regular units as well. Their melee and ranged weapon profiles are both abysmal and when shooting the Capo is missing Sharpshooter 1, a keyword that is standard on other generic officers in the game. However, Pyke Capos have a crucial keyword that tips the scales back in their favor: Aid. Not only does the Capo provide a courage buff, but Aid is the fulcrum of Pyke-centric lists.

Aid is essentially the organic version of Strategize but with a larger suppression price. When used properly Aid will allow for pseudo Take Cover 2 and Spotter 1 each round. (If you're wondering how you give away the second dodge, then allow me to remind you of Independent:Dodge at the start of the activation phase.) This means that whichever Pyke corps unit is receiving fire can freely spend their dodge token knowing that their Capo will replenish it when they activate. A typical Capo activation for me goes like this: rally and hope to drop your suppression from Aiding your independant dodge, if it is removed then I'll take both an aim and a dodge action and pass them both with aid. This is by no means a hard and fast rule, but passing tokens to those who are actually fighting is a great way to supercharge your front line.

1) Listbuilding decisions that you should be making.

The P-13m Disruptor Rifle

Pykes offer a form of ranged impact in their P13-M Disruptor Rifle that mimics that of other factions. It is identical in reliability to the DLT-19, but has a greater chance of finding a natural critical result due to its larger dice pool. In this way it is a dim reflection of the DC-15 (who has an almost 50% chance of finding a crit) but with a higher "ceiling" since it has the possibility to find 3 hits instead of the 2 that the DC-15 is limited to. In almost every situation though, these three rifles offer the same result when fired alone (1.75 results on average).

The Pyke disruptor rifle is a must when running Pykes. The rifle (1.75 hits) punches almost as hard as the rest of the squad combined (2 hits) and takes the total expected value of your shot to 3.75 hits. When combined with an aim token this shot bumps up to 4.75 hits meaning your opponent is typically rolling three after cover, this is almost as good as an aimed Phase 1 Clone Trooper shot with the DC-15 (another of my favorite dice pools in this game). For 68 points a Pyke squad with a rifle is a bargain that you should buy in bulk.

The Capo Personnel upgrade with the P-13M Disruptor Rifle

The long running fan favorite among Pyke users both in Shadow Collective and outside of it. At 18 points you are gaining a second courage, a surge token each round and an extra wound and attack die to your overall squad effectiveness. The value of the courage bump cannot be overstated. Courage two means you are more likely to get your second action each round as well as not needing to be babysat by a standalone Capo unit. While a courage one unit may only get to shoot or move on their activation, the Capo team can usually perform both of these actions. Furthermore, should your Capo commander unit be killed, this personnel upgrade can step into the void via a promotion and offer the same level of courage that existed previously for those squads in your army that are without this upgrade.

The surge token also adds an expected 70% chance of finding another hit on offense. Combining this with the extra black attack die that the Capo brings means that each round of shooting the Capo upgrade will find you 1.2 more hits than a squad without the upgrade. If you then factor in the boost of courage allowing you to aim before shooting, then this means your aimed squad will be finding about 2.2 hits more per shot than the suppressed "un-capoed" team beside them (5.9 vs. 3.7). Over six rounds of shooting the Capo's attack die and Independant: Surge will add 7.2 more hits to your total firepower provided you survive that long. If you are looking for a do-it-all squad that excels at aggressive play without needing to have its hand held, then this is it.

A Pyke Syndicate Foot Soldier and P-13M Disruptor rifle

The "extra" man (or fish). Of the two personnel upgrades for the Pyke corps, this one has grown to become my favorite simply due to its great price point. For nine points you are receiving an extra body that gives your team more staying power and offense, but at a budget price point. While not as flashy as the Capo upgrade, this fifth trooper still gives great value when brought either alone or en masse. The Cache:Aim allows for your squad to move and shoot a meaningful shot without needing to be aided first by the Capo commanders around it. This first shot utilizing Cache:Aim will slightly (5.2 which is .3 more hits) outpunch that of the Capo upgraded squad which also shot without taking an aim. Unfortunately after the first shot Cache:Aim is of no further value, but the extra body will continue to be by supplementing your attack and wound pools. Over six rounds of shooting the "extra man's" attack die and cached aim token will add roughly four more hits to your total firepower.

This is of course not the paragon of utility that the Capo brings, but the upside is that it comes at exactly half the cost. What this means is that point for point two Pyke Syndicate Foot Soldiers are a better buy from a firepower-only perspective. You gain an extra wound to your overall army compared to the Capo and you find .8 more hits over the course of the game. Furthermore, you are not guaranteed to find a surge result when rolling attack dice; however one can always spend an aim token. Cached aim tokens are also of far more value when battling armor since they have the possibility of producing critical results, something a surge can never do. If we are talking objective play, then of course the Capo is better. But if you are looking to punch hard early, win the gun battle quick and hope your courage value doesn't matter, then welcome to the Cache: Aim team.

Capos with Vigilance

If you're trying to do Pyke gunlines right, then don't be caught without this card. Yes it has been nerfed, but it is still as powerful as it was before, just with a higher price point. The ability to hold onto unused dodge tokens while triggering independent means your opponent now has that much more work to do before they can start harming your units.

One of my favorite tricks with Pykes is to aid a dodge late in the round to a unit that has received fire and is hurting. With Vigilance you can then hold onto that dodge, gain a second from independant and then Aid them a third at the start of the activation phase from the Capo who just gave them their Vigilance'd dodge. This means that whichever squad your opponent focuses on first, will begin the following round with three dodges (and Danger Sense as well because they likely weathered multiple shots). I can't imagine running a Pyke-centric list and leaving this upgrade behind.

Capos with Improvised Orders

This is an obvious build if you're playing a Shadow Collective list. Not only does Shadow Collective crave this card, but the Pyke Capo is the cheapest way to put it in your list. The battleforce struggles with order control, and if you want to gain some measure of that back then you need to bring this card. I won't say much more about this card other than to point out the neat interaction of recovering it in order to use it twice in a round. If you Aid away your dodge at the start of the activation phase, then aid a second time during your activation you can quickly find yourself holding two or three suppression tokens depending on the game state. If your Capo Aids with his first action, then recovers with his second action you'll get both a second use of Improvised Orders as well as being suppression free for Aid shenanigans next round.

2) Listbuilding decisions that are "neat."

Pykes without a heavy weapon, and with a Capo

Returning to our personnel discussion from earlier, we come to an option that I seldom recommend, but has a place in certain lists. If you find yourself running a Mandalorian list or a raiding party list and you simply need reliable activations to secure your objectives and rear line, then this squad build is technically an option. While not the worst choice you can make, this squad isn't really "bad" but rather sub-optimal. Their firepower will be quite poor but their courage value should keep them from panicking when it is time to score.

I'd only advocate for this build in a one or two-off manner if you have no other Pyke teams in your army and need to boost that activation count. I’ll point out that two squads of Pykes with Capo upgrades are cheaper (124 points) than two naked squads and a standalone Capo unit (136 points). If you are really pressed for points or are out of commander slots then you can consider this building route. All that being said, if you are bringing one of these squads, you've probably made an earlier list building mistake that has pigeon-holed you into this final choice.

Prepared Supplies

What if, instead of starting every round with a single dodge, you could have a second dodge for the first time you receive fire? Or what if you could hold onto a dodge from Vigilance, be aided another dodge, have an independant dodge and have a cached dodge too? In short, what would it feel like to abuse the power of Outmaneuver?

This is a fun addition to your Pyke corps troops (don't bring this on the Capo, they shouldn't be receiving fire anyways) but it is a situational choice. Only bring this upgrade if you've no better a place to spend your points and you do not need a bid. And if you bring it, it's best to have multiple of these upgrades across your corps otherwise your opponent will just shoot the teams that don't have Prepared Supplies. Be careful about spending too many points on building this meme castle though. Once you run into a high-velocity list like double AAT or Iden triple snipers, you've wasted all the points which could have been spent on more courage or weapons.

Capos with Lead by Example

Lead by Example brings Inspire 2 to a battleforce that otherwise has no access to the keyword. Most often your Capos should be taking the command options I discussed earlier, but if you bring a third Capo or if you have a battle deck that leans into War Weary and Hostile Environment then this option is quite handy. Inspire 2 is truly a great keyword to have in your army, but it is not the best option that a Capo can take. I only bring this upgrade if I've already brought both Vigilance and Improvised Orders in my army. However a Pyke line that isn't bringing Capo personnel upgrades would benefit greatly from this upgrade.

Additionally, if your other Capos are suppressed then inspiring them means they will start their activation suppression free and can choose to double Aid without fear of stacking too many suppression on themselves. Other than the Capo who equips this upgrade, every trooper in your list will benefit from this choice. A list that includes Gar Saxon and his Compel keyword would also be wise to bring this along in order to remove suppression from the units that utilized Compel earlier in the round.

Capos with Portable Scanners/Electrobinoculars

If you’re finding yourself in need of more tokens than Aid will allow you to give per round (two dodges and one aim per Capo) then perhaps you’ll be interested in these gear upgrades. In a list with three Capo commanders it’ll be unnecessary, but with two or less it’s not a bad call. The ability to double down on green tokens when the time is right is frankly kinda busted. It will require a full activation's worth of actions, but saving the skin scales of another Pyke in need can give you the win on an objective. If you're instead assaulting a point then giving two aim tokens to a squad with a rifle will catapult their expected hits from 3.7 to 5.5 instead. That’s the same firepower as a TX-130 Saber tank with the Twin Laser Turret armament!

I’d like to take this moment to pause and state that the “extra man” upgrade will deliver nearly the same result without needing any help from outside. Cache: Aim is a drug and these fish boys are my dealers.

Pykes with an Electro-Whip Soldier and grenades

The Electro-Whip Soldier is a sub-optimal choice in almost every situation. The great keywords and die pool do not make up for its short range requirement. Furthermore this variant of the Electro-Whip lacks the Versatile keyword that makes the MagnaGuard version viable. However there are a few niche cases that I believe this heavy weapon can shine in.

Since you've already got to get to range one to be effective, why not double down on your range limitations? Combining the Immobilize and Suppressive keywords with certain grenades can lead to debilitating attacks. Note that I said can, not will. You've still got to be smart in order to make these attacks work, but combining Ion or Impact with Immoblize can shut vehicles down if you manage to land enough hits (you rarely see it, but immobilize does work on vehicles!). Immobilize plus Ion is neat against Dark Troopers, but if you're at range one of them then you likely won't last past that first activation anyways, so don't try it Anakin.

When facing typical organic troopers you could consider concussion grenades to mitigate cover, but truthfully in almost any circumstance where you are running whips with grenades you should bring fragmentation grenades. At range one you'll throw six red with Surge:Crit almost guaranteeing you'll find six hits before cover. Perhaps the most problematic issue with this build is the low courage value. If you want to move and attack with a whip you'll need to be just within range two at the start of your activation. It is unlikely you'll start in that position without a suppression which means the viability of your whip now relies on your rally roll. Adding a Capo personnel upgrade to the squad does remove this issue, but that's four more points (before grenades) than just taking a Disruptor Rifle and aiming and shooting from range three instead. It's neat, but it's situational.

3) Listbuilding decisions that you should not be making.

Electro-Whips without grenades

Since its limitations are fresh in your mind, allow me to say that I don't believe whips without grenades are a good choice. I'm aware that there are a few players who have done well with this build at large tournaments, but unless you're an ace at this game you shouldn't be trying to copy their success. Not only are there better ways to spend your points, but the meta has shifted away from Force Users and Wookies at the moment so you'll get limited opportunities to shut down melee units. (I understand Ewoks are lurking out there, but I think if you want to beat them you'd better stand far off and shoot. Range one is a death sentence against the swarm.)

If you're looking for a way to get beefier corps units but don't have the points for a Disruptor Rifle, then you'd be better off taking the "extra man" for one less point and still getting a free aim token. To reiterate, some have done well with this build, but that was a different meta.

Pyke squads with just the "extra man"

To be blunt, don't. If you're considering survivability, it's not worth the nine points to gain another health when Prepared Supplies is almost half the cost. If you're considering offense then understand that spending the Cache:Aim will only give you 3.3 hits from your five black dice. After heavy cover you'd be lucky to land a hit on almost any corps unit in the game after red saves, nimble dodges or independant dodges. If the fifth trooper is all you can afford, than you need to go back to the drawing board and make cuts elsewhere.

“Naked” Pykes

In a post-CRB world where passing is the norm, you shouldn't need to be activation padding. Aside from vaporator work or holding down an especially safe home objective on Intercept or Key Positions these fellas will add little of value to your game. Their shots will be lucky to do more than suppress your opponent and expose themselves to be wiped for an easy shift in activation disparity. I've even seen some players go so far as to bring naked Pykes in their army without having any Capo commanders whatsoever. To be blunt, don't. I understand this is a bit of a Euro fad, and as Americans we don't do all that drivel.

Capos with Inspiring Presence

Conceptually it sounds neat to provide panic support from safety, but if your Capos are at range four of suppressed corps units then you're playing the game wrong. Either you've let your opponent get a nasty flank on you, or you've misunderstood how to play Capos. Their best work is done when they are at range one of multiple friendly corps and they are aiding out whatever token the gamestate is calling for. If you're sending in a beserk squad to whip up the enemy in their deployment zone then you should be adding a Capo to the squad rather than relying on a range four "Hail Mary" to keep them from panicking. To be at range four of the battle is to waste their potential.

There are a number of other poor command upgrade choices that you could equip to capos, but I feel that at this point in the article I can simply list them here and you'll know why they are bad without a paragraph of explanation (I've also seen practically no one advocate for these choices so I don't need to defend my opinion). Do not take the following upgrades: Aggressive Tactics, Esteemed Leader and Strict Orders.

Targeting Scopes

This is a pet-peeve of mine whenever I see it on anything other than bounty hunters. Mathematically it is a terrible upgrade even if you've got access to two aim tokens. For four points you've bought yourself essentially an extra half of an aim action each time you spend an aim. While this may sound great, the reality is that you're only finding .5 more hits per shot. Aim tokens are not guaranteed and there are many better places to spend those points. If you're not using those extras points to buy units or weapons then for a single point more you could equip Prepared Supplies and be guaranteed to not roll a defense die. Instead, many well intentioned players reroll a single attack die for .5 more hits. Don't take Targeting Scopes; not on Pykes, or Stormtroopers or even on Black Suns, the math shows that you aren't spending your points well.

Synergies to Consider:

Compelling Commanders

Compel is a valuable keyword in any army, but you've got to be careful with it. It is not a keyword that you should be using at every opportunity that presents itself. Playing with suppression is something that should be done for a specific reason, not just willy-nilly moving and shooting. There are three commanders that have this keyword that Pykes can be paired alongside. Gar Saxon, Director Orson Krennic and Lord Vader.

Regardless of which commander you pair them with, be sure to include some form of Inspire in your army so that you can utilize the ability and still score at the same time. Take care to remember that Self-Preservation will keep them from utilizing the courage value of commanders outside their affiliation, so Vader's null courage value (which makes compel so good on him) is of no help for Pykes. Compel can be helpful if you are running Pykes with whips since you'll be sure to get that first move action to help you close the distance. Additionally the move action can be used to charge into melee for safety where you can dodge and wait out the storm of fire around you.

Obi-wan Kenobi

Obi-wan's Guardian keyword alongside Pykes makes for a fun and cheesy combo. While similar in playstyle to what any Clone Trooper token-sharing gunline is doing, Pykes have the unique advantage of having their dodge tokens at the beginning of the round. This can help them become a very irritating unit to kill as their dodge combined with heavy cover and Guardian means that the Pykes can shrug off the first six hit results thrown at them. If you were to pursue a list of this form, I would recommend you bring along a Capo and possibly a Portable Scanner to keep the Guardian castle going. I've personally had good success with this list: Obi-wan Kenobi List

The Medic Bus

There can be few things more demoralizing for an opponent than bringing back dead Pykes. By the time they've punched through your dodges, then your aided dodges, then your Danger Sense in order to deal wounds; they've likely spent two activations or more to make headway. Bringing back Pykes (suppressing them while you do it and triggering Danger Sense) means that their battle to kill your wounded unit is nothing short of an uphill one.

Strategize

The least utilized synergy I will mention is that of the Super Tactical Droid (any of the three variants). Frankly, I don't know if I've ever played against Pykes in a Confederate army. But theoretically you could once again build a dodge castle that nobody enjoys shooting through. Furthermore, CIS has access to the cheapest medical droid in the game. Cross-faction comparisons are not always appropriate, but Pykes are the ultimate cross-faction unit. CIS players are already accustomed to supporting their heroes, so switching to Pykes would not be terribly difficult. However, I'm not sure I'm convinced this is the best way to spend your points in a droid army, it's more of an observation. If you're looking for the best revive for your buck (or fish) then CIS offers both a cheap medic and a general support system to buoy them upon.

Minefield

Like most of these synergies, this isn't going to win or lose a game for you. But there is a very real possibility that Pykes can simply ignore the blast of mines with enough dodges. Round one of a game with minefield is typically spent tip-toeing around or through the mines trying to minimize losses. However with dodges aided at the beginning of activation, Pykes can take the heat knowing that their two dodges are enough to completely muffle the explosion. As long as the mine doesn't double detonate, Pykes can typically emerge from the minefield in better shape than their opponents.

If you've made it this far, I appreciate your patience reading through what I hope to be the longest article I'll write for quite some time! I didn't intend for it to be so long, but like all of us I can be a long-winded guy when it comes to my own opinions. I'll be back soon with another article, so be sure to check back for my guide on Snowtroopers. Thanks for reading and I hope you learned something!