So something interesting about the Syndicate, is that they have no dedicated aerial combat units. The Mirage is awesome in earlygame, and can be useful through midgame, but doesn't put out good damage. I feel that this is likely by design, as the combination of aerial speed with on demand cloaking is a recipe for devastation.
...unless you go Voidtech
The void tech tier 2 flyer is FAST, and it does good damage. It's intended as a support unit, and isn't generally durable enough for dedicated combat. But with the Syndicate you can work around those weaknesses to make an absolutely terrifying AND cheap harassment weapon.
If you have a stack of 5 of them, lead by a Mirage with the speed upgrade, you get a 40 movement speed flying stack which can conceal itself on rough terrain. Since the Mirage is a vehicle, you can throw a hero inside, give them Farsight and a detection mod, and use them to go deep into enemy territory. Their speed makes them VERY difficulty to catch, and they can run over mountains to protect themselves. And the Syndicate get a nice operation early on that can cloak a stack for 2 turns when needed. Even more amazing, their low hp isn't a issue when fighting against small stacks, as they can heal each other, and the Mirage can be very disruptive vs small defenses ans militia.
It's even more hilarious when you realize their abduct works on defensive turrets. You can send one in, pull a turret out, then evacuate the one who pulled the turret(which means it can safely advance into overwatch to abduct), then focus down the defenses. Rinse, repeat. If they rush you, they lose the benefit of their turrets and can be shredded by their good damage.
Something to note is that you can't really cause lasting damage with as much ease as the last game. Even razing takes a few turns, and absorption is out of the question. This strategy is excellent vs militia, but if they properly defend their cities its not as effective as strike teams in the last game.
Where this is effective is in razing sectors that have been annexed. Those only take 1 turn, and with your speed you can waste tons of time and resources. You won't be winning games with this alone, but you can make your enemies unable to attack, or have to spend a LOT of time and energy heavily upgrading their infrastructure in every colony.
Edit: In midgame you can use Alternative Means to get that plasma cannon thing that blasts a 7 hex area on the strategic map for 20% damage AND screws with detection. This does double duty softening up targets AND screwing up detectors trying to find you.
...unless you go Voidtech
The void tech tier 2 flyer is FAST, and it does good damage. It's intended as a support unit, and isn't generally durable enough for dedicated combat. But with the Syndicate you can work around those weaknesses to make an absolutely terrifying AND cheap harassment weapon.
If you have a stack of 5 of them, lead by a Mirage with the speed upgrade, you get a 40 movement speed flying stack which can conceal itself on rough terrain. Since the Mirage is a vehicle, you can throw a hero inside, give them Farsight and a detection mod, and use them to go deep into enemy territory. Their speed makes them VERY difficulty to catch, and they can run over mountains to protect themselves. And the Syndicate get a nice operation early on that can cloak a stack for 2 turns when needed. Even more amazing, their low hp isn't a issue when fighting against small stacks, as they can heal each other, and the Mirage can be very disruptive vs small defenses ans militia.
It's even more hilarious when you realize their abduct works on defensive turrets. You can send one in, pull a turret out, then evacuate the one who pulled the turret(which means it can safely advance into overwatch to abduct), then focus down the defenses. Rinse, repeat. If they rush you, they lose the benefit of their turrets and can be shredded by their good damage.
Something to note is that you can't really cause lasting damage with as much ease as the last game. Even razing takes a few turns, and absorption is out of the question. This strategy is excellent vs militia, but if they properly defend their cities its not as effective as strike teams in the last game.
Where this is effective is in razing sectors that have been annexed. Those only take 1 turn, and with your speed you can waste tons of time and resources. You won't be winning games with this alone, but you can make your enemies unable to attack, or have to spend a LOT of time and energy heavily upgrading their infrastructure in every colony.
Edit: In midgame you can use Alternative Means to get that plasma cannon thing that blasts a 7 hex area on the strategic map for 20% damage AND screws with detection. This does double duty softening up targets AND screwing up detectors trying to find you.
