Why all the Bao hate?

Over on the Infinity forums, there's a thread talking about the Pheasant Agent (ew).  Corvus Belli may have changed the Crane Agent for the better, but the Pheasant was left in the dust.  So sad, but so true.

Real elite troop incoming...

Inevitably, though, the conversation turned to the Bao - yet another troop selection that was maligned in N2.  It continues to get crapped on in N3 by a large number of Infinity forumites, but I don't think they deserve to be written off quite yet.  Here's why.

Combi + Light Shotgun (X-Visor + MSV2)
Boarding Shotgun + Contender (X-Visor + MSV2)

These two loadouts alone make the Bao interesting.  The X-Visor means that both are +0 levels of dangerous up to 32", and with the MSV2, they're going to be rolling against 9s at worst when their victim is in cover.  If you play them tactically, that means you'll be firing at full burst looking for 9s, while your opponent is shooting back at you from outside their optimal range (engage outside their +3 range, and preferably in their -3 or -6).  At this point, you should be in cover, so the firefights won`t exactly be fair...

Unlike the Lu Duan/Rui Shi that people tout as being far superior, the Bao isn't hackable through walls.  With the massive increase of Hacking in N3, the infowar is a serious threat against REM-type units.  Bao just laugh, turn the corner, and unleash shotgun hell.  Thanks to the MSV2, these shotgunners never need to contend with any model-specific attack penalties (environmental issues like Nimbus are a totally different story...), so they're firing at 15s even if the model is in cover.  And hey, enjoy that incredible Suppression Fire...

For a model costing just under 30 points, this doesn't seem like a bad deal at all.

...now if only they'd do something about that Pheasant...