13 squads and 39 mechs: roles and action order

Criteria for choosing a squad

• The count of 13 covers normal fixed squads. It excludes Random, Custom and Secret Squad. Coin prices differ between older articles and current AE, so check the squad selection screen.

Rift Walkers | Secure push directions

The starting squad, with displacement available on all three mechs. Melee, direct fire and artillery reach different positions.

1. Find threats that only artillery can reach first, then assign Artillery's action to them.
2. Position Combat and Cannon so they can approach enemies from different sides. Grouping them on the same side duplicates their push directions.
3. Compare enemy HP with collision destinations. If a 2-damage punch plus a 1-damage collision handles a 3-HP enemy, other mechs can tackle different threats.
4. Also check positions after the solution. A mech that pursues enemies too far toward the edge may be unable to return to protect buildings next turn.

• Artemis's Buildings Immune applies to buildings. It does not also make escort targets or allied mechs immune.
• Upgrade considerations: choose fist damage, Cannon damage, artillery building protection or movement based on current enemy HP and required reach.

Rusting Hulks | Stop attacks with lingering smoke

Combines smoke's attack prevention with ongoing damage from Storm Generator.

1. Place smoke on a dangerous enemy's tile and check that its attack preview is canceled.
2. Separate enemies Rocket's artillery alone can handle from those Jet should disable.
3. Move Pulse where it can redirect several attack lines. If it must enter smoke, check whether it can attack there.
4. For enemies that next turn's ongoing damage will handle, avoid unnecessary follow-up hits and deal with other dangers.

• Normal smoke alone deals no damage. Check that Storm Generator is powered. Some enemies are unaffected by smoke.
• Upgrade considerations: consider smoke damage, Rocket damage and Jet's attack area. Camila's smoke immunity adds actions on the front line.

Zenith Guard | Manage firing lines and self-damage

Combines lasers, charges and defensive support. It can deal high damage, but is prone to hitting buildings and allies.

1. First check which attacks Defense can redirect with a pull alone.
2. For Laser, preview every target along the line, not just the nearest one.
3. Aim Charge where it can survive its self-damage. If it cannot, choose another weapon, repair or a shield.
4. Consider shielding against an immovable threat, and prepare a solution for the following turn with that enemy still alive.

• Laser's ally-protection upgrade and building protection are separate. In escort missions, always read which targets the protection affects.
• Upgrade considerations: Abe's Armored combined with Charge can reduce small amounts of self-damage. Recalculate self-damage after upgrading damage.

Blitzkrieg | Check where the chain ends

Uses rocks and pulling to connect Electric Whip's chain. The chain can also reach allies.

1. Count every target the electricity will hit, and move allies or escort targets away first.
2. Use Hook to pull an enemy into the chain or an ally out of it.
3. Decide whether you need a rock to extend the chain or artillery to stop another enemy.
4. Consider another pushing weapon for isolated enemies the chain cannot handle.

• An upgrade that lets the chain pass through buildings does not treat escort targets with HP the same way. Check the preview before including trains, tanks or similar units in a chain.
• Upgrade considerations: increasing damage also makes chains into allies more severe. Consider durability, another weapon and repositioning together.

Steel Judoka | Turn enemy attacks against other enemies

Uses throws, wide pushes and pulls, plus Vek Hormones to support enemy friendly fire.

1. Display enemy attack order and distinguish earlier attackers from later ones.
2. Find positions where an enemy blocks a shot or an earlier attacker kills a later one.
3. Keep space behind Judo when using it. If that is impossible, solve the threat with Gravity or Siege's displacement.
4. Finally recheck previews for buildings and escort targets. Moving an enemy alone can endanger a different building.

• Friendly fire depends on order. If an enemy attacks a building before being killed later, it is not a defensive solution.
• Upgrade considerations: consider Siege's building protection, movement and friendly-fire support. A secondary weapon capable of direct kills also fills gaps.

Flame Behemoths | Buy time with fire and swaps

Spreads fire and pushes burning enemies. Swap Mech's swaps answer distant threats.

1. Use Flame and Meteor to target unlit and burning enemies differently.
2. For Swap, check reach and the mech's safety after swapping.
3. If fire alone cannot stop the immediate attack, combine it with a push or swap.
4. Use ongoing damage against enemies that will remain alive, while another mech handles threats to buildings still unresolved.

• The squad's fire protection does not extend to every ordinary unit you escort. Check that civilian and mission units will not catch fire.
• Upgrade considerations: prioritize Swap's reach and movement or Flame's range as candidates. Prepare direct attacks for enemies you cannot wait to burn down.

Frozen Titans | Freeze threats and leave a way to thaw

Defends through freezing, reversing attacks and firing in both directions. Freezing alone is insufficient for missions requiring enemy kills.

1. Choose which enemy Ice will disable and avoid unnecessary damage to the frozen target.
2. If your mech freezes itself, include Repair or another source of damage to thaw it in the next actions.
3. Move Mirror to a tile with safe firing lines both forward and backward. Do not fire after checking only one side.
4. Check the attack of an enemy reversed by Aegis, and distinguish cases reversal alone cannot solve, such as attacks in both directions.

• Freezing is not killing. It suits Pacifist, but kill-count missions require kills with other weapons.
• Upgrade considerations: consider combining Bethany's or Mafan's shield with Ice. Once the shield is gone, self-freezing happens normally.

Hazardous Mechs | Calculate self-damage and healing together

Supports self-damaging attacks with Viscera Nanobots healing on kills.

1. Estimate self-damage and post-kill healing separately before attacking. Do not rely on healing if the enemy will survive.
2. Use Nano to weaken armored or high-HP enemies so Leap or Unstable can finish them.
3. Check the area around Leap and Unstable's recoil destination to avoid collisions with buildings.
4. On turns when you cannot kill, use other pushes or repairs rather than repeatedly forcing self-damaging attacks.

• Do not treat repairing as restoring eligibility for an undamaged achievement. Some achievements count any damage taken, so prioritize the condition text.
• Upgrade considerations: consider healing equipment, durability and Abe's armor. Always preview weapons whose damage upgrades also increase self-damage.

Bombermechs [AE] | Use bombs for swaps and firing lines

Combines a bomb-deploying mech, a cannon that pierces the first target and a mech that swaps two units.

1. Find a target Exchange can move adjacent to. If needed, first use Bombling to prepare a bomb for swapping.
2. When placing an ally or bomb in front of Pierce, check the push on the first target.
3. Find swaps that redirect two threats at once. Swapping a ground unit into water also requires the other unit to be positioned there.
4. Check how long bombs remain. Do not plan on the same anchor still existing next turn.

• You cannot place a normal bomb on water as a swap anchor. Fixed or immovable targets also cannot be swapped.
• Upgrade considerations: consider Pierce's and Exchange's reach, and secondary equipment that adds ways to use bombs.

Arachnophiles [AE] | Turn kills into extra actions

Creates controllable small units from targets killed by Arachnoid Injector. Preparing a kill for generation is important.

1. Check whether Injector can kill an enemy. If not, remove only the missing HP with Bulk or a collision.
2. Use the generated Arachnoid to push a remaining threat to a building.
3. If there is no immediate threat, saving the extra unit for next turn's defense is also an option.
4. When gathering enemies with Area Shift, check for building collisions and escape routes for other allies.

• Injector's KO effect requires that attack to kill the target. Do not assume it always generates a unit when the target later dies from another enemy's attack or a similar source.
• Upgrade considerations: consider Injector's damage and A.C.I.D. for the generated unit. Prepare a weapon for weakening enemies as high-HP targets increase.

Mist Eaters [AE] | Healing and attack prevention through smoke

Uses Nanofilter Mending to heal by consuming smoke on entered tiles. In addition to normal smoke-based attack prevention, the squad can control enemies.

1. Check whether Control can move an enemy into friendly fire, a spawn point or dangerous terrain.
2. Distinguish threats Smog should stop from those Thruster should attack while moving.
3. Check whether entering smoke can restore HP lost to self-damage. Consumed smoke disappears, so do not assume another mech or a later turn will have the same healing spot.
4. Check the order when applying smoke and fire to the same enemy. Placing smoke afterward can extinguish the fire.

• Control differs from pushing. Do not assume it can force a unit onto an unwalkable tile; check the selectable movement range.
• Upgrade considerations: consider Thruster's reach and durability, Smog's damage and other pushing tools suited to the mission.

Heat Sinkers [AE] | Use fire to replenish Boost

Uses Heat Engines to gain Boost from fire. Boost adds 1 damage to the next attack, making it useful against multiple targets.

1. Distinguish mechs that need Boost from those whose normal damage already solves the threat.
2. Use Napalm's fire to boost the required mech first, then attack.
3. Move Quick-Fire where both firing lines are safe.
4. Also consider retaining Boost without spending it, setting up next turn's attack.

• Boost does not stack repeatedly to accumulate damage. Equipment with self-damage also requires checking its self-damage side.
• Upgrade considerations: add missing tools through Napalm's range, Quick-Fire's pushing, Dispersal's ignition or similar options.

Cataclysm [AE] | Crack terrain with kills, then drop enemies into chasms

Uses Seismic Capacitor's KO effect to crack surrounding terrain, then turns it into chasms with another attack.

1. Find an enemy Drill can kill and weaken it first if needed.
2. Hit terrain cracked by the KO to create a chasm.
3. Use Pitcher or Triptych to drop ground enemies into chasms. The same method cannot handle flying enemies.
4. After a chasm forms, check that your own mechs still have a route to move, leaving a way to defend buildings next turn.

• Flying enemies survive above chasms. Distinguish enemies terrain destruction alone can solve from those requiring direct attacks or freezing.
• Upgrade considerations: Drill's +1 Damage and Pitcher's +2 Range each cost 1 core. Choose according to whether you can secure a KO or reach a throwing destination.

Random, Custom and Secret squads