Infinity Unit Review: Hunzakuts
Hunzakuts are a staple unit in many Druze Bayram Security and Haqqislam armies, and for good reason! They are dirt cheap camo infiltrators, who have an incredible WIP 14.
STATS AND SPECIAL RULES
Across the board, the Hunzakut has pretty middling attributes, with the exception of an incredible WIP 14. They are irregular with poor BS, no defenses, and miserable in combat. If you're looking for something to get in a straight up brawl, go somewhere else. The reason you're taking them is because they've got CH: Camouflage, Infiltration, and to a lesser extent Multiterrain. These skills are the basics of most skirmishers in the game. They can start up close, in a marker state, and take advantage of Surprise Shot.
Profiles
Light Grenade Launcher. The "basic" profile? Not sure, but for a mere 18/0.5 points, this gives you a bit of a deadly kick. A rifle + light grenade launcher is a deceptively effective weapon, often overlooked because of BS11, in the reactive turn, it can cause some serious issues for opponents moving link teams. In the right position, a link peeking around the corner may be a bit bunched up, letting you sacrifice the Hunzakut to hit multiple enemies at once. In the active turn, I would be a bit skeptical using the weapon, and spec shots are very difficult since you'll be hitting on 8's at best, but sometimes that spec shot is all you need. To top off the utility, this profile carries a deployable repeater, in addition to it's antipersonnel mines. I don't often take this profile, but I could see taking one if the scenario didn't have need of specialists.
Sniper Rifle. This unit has the honour of being tied with the Authorized Bounty Hunter for the cheapest sniper in Druze Bayram, at a measly 21/0.5 points. When you're comparing the two, the ABH may appear to be the clear winner, but the Hunzakut has a some distinct advantages. Despite being one point lower BS, the Hunzakut has Camouflage, which more than makes up for it, both for the -3 to be shot at, on top of Surprise Shot. Since the Hunzakut infiltrates, you can often get them into a better sniper position, and to defend herself, she can lay some antipersonnel mines. Despite rarely being seen on the table, the Hunzakut sniper actually has a few things going for it. Like the Light Grenade Launcher however, it's going to come down to how badly you need specialists.
Forward Observer. Odds are, if you're taking a Hunzakut, you add this profile to your army, and never bother looking at the previous two. The Hunzakut forward observer is the pinnacle of camouflaged infiltrating specialists. WIP 14 means that you rarely fail the rolls to interact with objectives, while also meaning you're going to hit on 17's with a flash pulse. Carrying both antipersonnel mines and deployable repeaters means that you can litter mid-field with equipment that will kill, or at least slow down, advancing enemy units. If you want to have a little more fun, you can use them to Surprise Shot Forward Observe a target, before raining down spec shots from your E/M light grenade launcher on a Druze somewhere. The versatility of the Hunzakut Forward Observer is simply amazing, not only is it never a bad investment, but often it's hard to justify not taking one.
Wrap Up
If you're going to only have one Camouflage Infiltrating Specialist available in a faction, this is going to be the one you want. Dirt cheap and versatile, they fit perfectly in any army that can take them, and provide a ton of useful equipment. I would love to see the sniper on the table more often, but with that Forward Observer profile, I can see why it's so rare.