Motodachi 
Ah yes, the Cartel – the Mutant Chronicles’ version of the UN. Established to mediate conflicts among the megacorporations and coordinate humanity’s struggle against the forces of the Dark Legion.
The Cartel is primarily known for the iconic Doom Troopers, which are not (yet!) present in Warzone Eternal. We do have access to the Cartel Agents, though, which is very unique model, both in function and form. Kickstarter backers had a chance to get an exclusive version of this model, and hopefully that means a general release version will be on the way soon enough!
Who can run the Cartel Agent?
The Cartel Agent has the Advisor rule. Per the rulebook, it is a Unit Designation that is Allegiance-agnostic. This means you can pick this unit regardless of your Force’s Allegiance, as long as you don’t include units from any Dark Legion Faction.
In simple English: Any of Humanity’s Forces, which does not include Dark Cult models.
Why would you run the Cartel Agent?
That’s a great question, my dear follower reader, and I’m here to provide the best answers!
First, it gives you access to Smoke Grenades on a Trooper Designation. Some Units don’t have any access to Smoke Grenades, and even for those that do, it often comes with a hefty 8DP cost for an Operator that’ll still have to slog their way up the board for turn or two before they can use them effectively.
Secondly, it’s a 7DP model, with 3 Wounds and -2DEF, which means it is surprisingly tanky.
Thirdly, you need a reliable Objective grabber! Their LD13 combined with Tactical means they can reliably take and hold an Objective while having an extra Reaction to Dive for Cover, and they can make it to said Objective with their ludicrous (5MV) speed!
Lastly, Scout Ahead! It’s unique to the Agent (as of time of writing), which allows them not to be deployed during the Game Setup stage. Instead when you first activate them, you can spend their first Action to be deployed 📢anywhere on the battlefield! This means you can actually spawn the Agent, 6″ away from an Objective, then spend their second Action to Move and reposition to actually touch it (though not interact with it)!
A unit such as this becomes invaluable in Objective Counter-heavy missions as well as the Secondaries game. Their Nerves of Steel ability ensures they will get to that Objective, even while toting around a Pinned Counter. There are some restrictions, such as the enemy deployment zone is out of bounds for the Cartel Agent and not within 6″ of any Enemy Units or any Scenario Objective counter (Note: Some Secondary Objectives spawn Scenario Objective counters, so be careful to not box yourself out). Also note that since this deployment takes up an Action, you’re left with only one more Action to spend during that first turn, so make sure that you place them wisely!
Just because they have serious Objective mojo doesn’t mean they’re not also capable fighters – they’re just… unique in how you should approach combat with them. While their stats are quite good – MW and CC 13 – they do lack a dedicated melee weapon. They do have access to the Punisher Handgun, a DAM 13 close-range weapon, which can be used in long range, but it’s not ideal (due to accuracy and damage drop off). The Handgun can be used in melee, but with penalties, thus giving you coin flip adjacent odds in melee.
Their last feature is access to the standard Fragmentation Grenades, -1/11 Explosive (2) Indirect. Now, this isn’t great nor terrible. You can’t kill a Razide with this, but you can hurt rank-and-file troops, and at the very least you can drop Pinned Counters on a load of models that are within 4″ of each other.
Ways to use the Cartel Agent
We have already discussed their primary (at least in my eyes) role: Objective Grabbers. They have all the tools to make it to the Objective you point them at, grab it and secure it for quite a few rounds.
They can fulfil a quasi-support role, and use them to throw smoke screens pretty much anywhere on the Battlefield, while being quite deadly in close quarters combat. A carefully Aimed shot with the Punisher can be lethal, even at longer ranges (6.1″-18″ away).
Lastly, if you want to troll your opponent, ask yourself the following series of questions:
- Is there a group of enemy models within 4″?
- Do all of these models have Non-Obstructed LOS? 3) Are you feeling lucky, punk?
If the answer to all of these is: “Yes”, then use the First Activation of the 1st round, to have your Agent spawn right outside of the enemy’s Deployment Zone, and chug that Frag!
Now, will your Agent die? Yes, very likely. Consider the positives, there is a tiny chance that the enemy will critically fail all their saves – an absolute win! All the enemy models might end up Pinned, and they most certainly will lose their Reaction for the round. In some cases, this can work, but as I said before, it is a huge gamble. You can potentially miss your shot, and then the Agent is just sitting there in the open (Indirect fire if you don’t see the point on the Battlefield is a net -5 on MW). Use this tactic at your own risk; if you fail miserably, this writer does not have any responsibility. If you succeed because of this, make sure to give me full credit and raise a glass of beer in my name.
Asset-wise, this model can see real benefit from a Hyperactivator – a 4″ Reposition almost acts as an extra Move Action, which is very helpful given that the Agent’s first Action will be taken up by the Scout Ahead! deployment. Otherwise, this can help with getting to and interacting with Objectives, or putting you in exactly the right spot to drop a Frag Grenade or two right on top of that group of enemy models that’ve unwisely clumped together. I do ever so love the smell of fragmentation in the morning…
Now go, take these objectives in the name of Humanity!
No corporation, no creed — only the Cartel!
