Dark Cobra Review
By John Bishop
New 3d Print Dark Cobra
Hello all. I am just another player with an opinion. So, take everything I say with a grain of salt.
I’ve decided to take a stab at model reviews. I remember reading the Duck Brother’s model reviews many years ago now. I found them helpful for wrapping my head around where those models could fit into my own force. And not all the information is subjective. Those reviews were very robust. I got a lot from them.
So, cheers to them. Let’s see if I can reproduce some of it for you all.
This is not intended to be the one document to rule them all. Most of it is just my thoughts. Hopefully they illuminate certain aspects or give you ideas for how to use Dark Cobras in your own force. If you disagree with anything or declare different strategies, I shall not be offended. In fact, I’d love to hear your thoughts on them if you’ve used them.
I’ll kick it off by flashing the correct Dark Cobra profile Rooster and the team recently released.
Dark Cobra 3.1 Profile
It’s important to point out how it’s different from the Blitz 3.1 book. Basically, the back mounted weapons were stat-ed incorrectly at some point. The 3.1 book shows the MGM being an added upgrade when it’s actually not supposed to be that. It’s supposed to be an option to use ‘instead of’ the MAR or LFG. It was not meant to be added when the Dark Cobra already has an MAR or LFG.
I can see how the mistake was made. Southern Cobras have ‘light’ mortars they can add to the back of a shoulder. A handful of southern designs place a light mortar on the back of their shoulder like this. However, the MGM is bigger and meant to go on the back of the Dark Cobra. The part is even made to fit the back, not the shoulder.
It's extra confusing because the Vulture does have an MGM on the shoulder. However, that’s a heavier gear and also does not have a back mounted weapon.
I’m glad they rogered up and accounted for the mistake when they redid the 3D model. Not fixing it makes the Dark Kodiak and other models seem undergunned by comparison.
On the plus side, they also added a Medium Pulse Laser (MPL) option. That’s a good deal for the Dark Cobra. And we finally have the weapon-part shown in the art.
This is a win.
I chose the Dark Cobra as a topic because it’s a classic. It’s been well featured recently and deserves all the credit it gets. The Cobra itself was one of the first gears way back from 1995. It’s one of Ghislain’s original 8 gears in the Heavy Gear Universe. Since then, southern curves have been captivating the masses with their obviously superior designs (I should warn you now, I am prone to cheeky).
Suck it North!
Let’s talk stats.
One thing you’ll notice about the Dark Cobra is it breaks some typical rhythms. Other gears of its class have 1 Action and the React+ trait. The Dark Cobra has 2 Actions instead, which is more similar to a King Cobra.
This in turn makes them easier to deal with for Force Construction. 2 Dark Cobras can be a cadre. Regular Cobras require at least 4 for a cadre. And on the flip side of that, 4 Dark Cobras can make two cadres, where 4 Cobras cannot.
Just so you know, ‘cadre’ is the superior word to use when talking about squads or combat groups (it’s the southern word for combat group).
2 cadres are more flexible in many ways, even if it’s the same number of gears as 1 cadre. You have to consider the events as they unfold on the table. There’s a type of organic insurance which naturally comes from breaking your cadres down into their smallest numbers.
Plus having more cadres than your opponent can lead to a type of advantage. But it’s hard to talk about this while also talking about Dark Cobras and Black Talons. Talons are not known for being swarmy.
They’re usually outnumbered.
The fact that it is a 2-Action model is still relevant in similar ways because paying less than 10 TV per Action is a benefit. So, those same Action-economy aspects that dictate its plusses also still apply when it comes to Talons.
This is why Talons may be outnumbered, but they’re not necessarily outgunned.
That said, there are some positive points to larger cadres. But I’ll leave this for others to comment on. I’ll focus on what the Dark Cobra brings to the table specifically. It’s not really a swarm-tool to begin with.
But you can spam them in whatever way suits you.
2 is also the standard variant limit. That means you don’t have to worry about variant limitations if you’re making a cadre with 2 Dark Cobras, which is nice in its own way. And if you have 4 Dark Cobras, then you can just make 2 cadres with 2 Dark Cobras each and still continue ignoring the rules for variant limitations. You even get some of those attritional benefits by doing it this way on top of not having to worry about variant limitations.
One caveat I’d say is you still need someone to lead the cadre and Dark Cobras don’t come with things like Comms. So, in reality it would probably be more like 1 Owl and 1 Dark Cobra. Or your own version of this.
And that’s kinda how many Black Talon forces are made. They often have smaller cadres and don’t need to stress variant limitations as much.
The changes in 3.0 and 3.1 allow some additional options to enhance attrition and Action-Economy by allowing lower TV-costed models from other factions to be mixed in with Talons.
It fits well too because when the Talons were first made, they started with lots of hand-me-downs from around Terra Nova. The Black Talon Field Guide from 2000 goes into this in more detail.
There was essentially a Dark Version of almost every gear available at that time. The premise was the Talon Werks team did modifications to every gear they accepted into their ranks. They didn’t start manufacturing their own gears until later.
Pairing a Dark Cobra with an E-War model like the Raven is also a good idea. Since they come with Comms, they can easily be the Dark Cobra’s commander. And the Dark Cobra with a little E-War support goes a long way, even if all you use the E-War specialist for is ECM Bubbles. It just makes the Dark Cobra more resilient in the end.
The Dark Cobra comes with the Roles SK and FS.
SK – Strike
FS – Fire Support
SK and FS have reasonable objectives. The Dark Cobra is all about destroying things, so many of the objectives fit it well. It can also be an assassin of sorts because it has tools to take anything down a peg, to include HHT-90s. So, Dark Cobras can also help out with other objectives like Assassinate. That’s rather useful.
Armor 8
Armor 8 is quite nice. There are some math riddles hidden in all this. But you don’t need to be a math professor to appreciate it. 8 Armor gives you pretty decent protection from many of the weapons you’ll encounter. It almost cancels things like Light Autocannons (LACs) completely.
Almost. Don’t get too cocky. 8 Armor still dictates staying cagey. Cover is still important. But it’s certainly more forgiving than 6 Armor.
Speed 6
(G/W:6)
Speed is relatively slow. But on the other hand, 6 can be 12 when you move at Top Speed. So, it’s not actually that slow.
If a game is 4 Rounds and the Dark Cobra is able to move 1 whole foot each Turn, you can maybe see how the Dark Cobra is actually faster than some would assume. It can move up to 4 feet during a game. And if the table is 4’ x 4’, not much will be able to stay hidden from the Dark Cobra. And the range on some of its weapons means this aspect is also still appreciable on bigger tables.
It’s hard to hide from Cobras. Many unfortunate Ferrets have learned this the hard way.
H/S: 4/2
Hull and Structure (H/S) is decent. Some of my friends go on and on about the value of 4/2 over 3/3. I don’t disagree. It’s just not one of my favorite aspects about the Dark Cobra. However, I do see the difference between Mambas and Jaguars. The Mamba’s 4/2 gives it a certain something over the Jaguar’s 3/3. You may see it better when it’s 4 Mambas vs 4 Jags.
I think the reason I don’t stress the H/S as much is because it usually comes with an increase in TV, which is expected. And I tend to focus on using the TV for attacking vice defending. So, while the Mambas have something on the Jags, the Jags also have a little something on the Mambas too. It’s to the point it’s almost a null argument.
Almost. Mambas are of course better than Jaguars simply because they came from the correct faction.
Better H/S means your model doesn’t get crippled as fast. No matter my subjective opinion, that’s actually something. The Dark Cobra not crippling as fast is in fact extremely valuable when you just took 3 Damage.
Personally, I only focus on specific defensive aspects and generally favor offensive aspects instead. So, maybe it’s just not as valuable to me because of my play style.
GU, PI and EW.
GU – Gunnery Skill
PI – Piloting Skill
EW – Electronic Warfare Skill
Love, love, love the GU of 3. The better the GU, the more the Margin Of Success (MOS) jumps up when you get more dice. Kind of duh, right? But it’s important to point out how this GU of 3 amps up the Dark Cobra’s Heavy Rotary Cannon (HRC), which is one of my choice weapons for the Dark Cobra.
PI of 4 is okay. Pretty standard. The Dark Cobra’s defensive charms are not about the PI. It has good Armor and H/S. So, you don’t really need to stress the PI. It’s at least not a detriment PI.
EW is EW. The Dark Cobra is not really an E-War machine. That’s why God made Iguanas in the first place. It’s weird the Talons went with completely inferior designs from the North and Peace River for their E-War needs. I guess they didn’t want them feeling left out…
All cheek aside, I do recommend pairing Dark Cheetahs, Dark Skirmishers and/or Ravens with your Dark Cobras. Treat your beast to some ECM Bubbles and a spotter. Either-or, or none of the above is fine too.
That leads into the flexibility of the Dark Cobra. You can treat it like a hammer and just trudge forward with all guns blazing. Or you can work it into a more intricate strategy involving forward observers and other tricks.
All answers are correct with the Dark Cobra. At least until it gets destroyed. Then whatever you just did was probably wrong.
Handheld Weapons: HRC vs MPA vs HBZ vs MPL with a dash of MVB.
HRC – Heavy Rotary Cannon
MPA – Medium Particle Accelerator
HBZ – Heavy Bazooka
MPL – Medium Pulse Laser
MVB – Medium Vibro-Blade (Dat Axe!)
There are two camps with bazookas. Some love them. Some hate them. I generally reserve them for something faster or more economic. I would not say the HBZ sucks. There’s just a lot to like about how the other weapons blend with what the Dark Cobra is. That’s true of a lot of big gears and striders.
Full disclosure: I prefer my bazookas on things like SD Jagers. Faster and cheaper. For bigger critters like the Dark Cobra, I go for the more technologically advanced weapons.
And what’s bad about an HRC averaging 4 dice on a 3-up skill with the Precise and AA traits on top of it all?
Noooothiiiiiing.
It reminds me of that one joke: If you absolutely have to kill every gear in the room, the HRC (Precise, AA) with GU:3 is what you need. Accept no substitutes.
And that’s what it feels like on the table. One of the things I love about it. Add in a Let Them Have it Order, and a few other things and you can literally take hovertanks on a new experience they have never felt before.
If you always use an HRC-toting-variant of the Dark Cobra, you will possibly never be wrong.
The Medium Particle Accelerator (MPA) is my second choice for a Dark Cobra. I love shredding things with an HRC, but I have to admit to something special with the MPA on the Dark Cobra.
There is some interesting math in the Focus-Rule. It can be mathematically better to not focus. While that’s not always true, the MPA on a Dark Cobra can be quite special because of this general math data.
If you don’t Focus its MPA attack, that means after you’ve Haywired the enemy with your MPA, you can then use the Dark Cobra’s second Action to follow up with something else. The Dark Cobra has some vicious one-two punches because of this.
Taking away your opponent’s dice can have a similar effect as adding to your own dice-pool. So, light an enemy up with the Dark Cobra’s MPA and follow it up with something else. It’s an awesome combo if you can set it up.
I almost want to say the HRC is more universally useful. If you have ever nailed a Hunter with an MPA, you’ll notice how it being Haywired is often the least of its problems after just being tagged with an MPA. It’s probably already crippled. And if so, being Haywired on top of that is kind of moot point. The MPA’s Haywire effect can be overkill when it comes to smaller targets. Although, if you’re facing off against something like an Aller, I’d generally recommend MPA-ing that thing as fast as you can. Keep it Haywired if you can’t kill it.
So, the MPA and HRC are easily good choices. The HBZ is a harder sell for me. The Dark Cobra just doesn’t have the speed or economy-in-TV to flex that weapon. Cause if you’ve ever seen a Dark Cobra trying to outmaneuver a Cheetah with a short-range bazooka… It’s like trying to catch your dog after it snuck out the front door again. Not so fun.
The HBZ is more for if you have a certain plan. But I’m probably understating the AP:4 on the HBZ a little when I say that. Cause if you Haywire something first and follow this up with an HBZ attack, I’d say you’re then cooking with Hoppers. 2 Dark Cobras could accomplish this well enough.
The MPL is an interesting recent development. It’s new to the Dark Cobra’s profile. I like the aesthetics of it. It’s very beefy and rugged.
While I have yet to use this variant, I already know pulse lasers are fun. They’re like stronger autocannons that can either go full auto or charge up for one hard hitting blast. The hard-hitting blast gives the Dark Cobra some more AP punch via AP:3, and the full auto mode is good for more lightly armored enemies.
Pulse lasers are useful multitools.
I still like the Precise HRC on the Dark Cobra more. However, I’m definitely going to rock some MPLs on them too.
The MPL paired with the MAR is a nice combo because it gives you a good spread of tools. It includes a good AP-Weapon, the MPL, and a very long-range MAR. You get your AOE-Weapons, with your AP-Weapons with your Burst-Weapons. Not a bad deal at all.
The HRC pairs well with the LFG for similar reasons. And if we’re being technical, the MPLs Burst:1 and Advanced is not a compelling reason for me to forgo the Precise HRC. But the MPL pairs better with the MAR, in my opinion, because the MAR needs a little AP-help. And that MAR’s extreme range and its own flexibility means something too.
I’m going to make some Dark Cobra Rho variants with MPLs and MARs for sure.
The vibro-axe. Honestly, meh. It looks cool. And I love it for that. But something with a speed of 6 just has a hard time chasing stuff to employ it. That said, I may have crushed a few gears with that axe. So…
I would say it’s a viable melee duelist. And if you want to take it in that direction, you’re sure to have some fun. I just personally see the Dark Cobra as more of a ranged attack duelist (if it’s a duelist). I’ll use things like Mambas as melee duelists.
Mounted Weapons: MRP, MAR, LFG, MGM
MRP – Medium Rocket Pack
MAR – Medium Artillery Rockets
LFG – Light Field Gun
MGM – Medium Guided Mortar
The MRP is a good secondary weapon. You may not get a lot of use out of it because almost everything else just hits harder or strikes farther. I use it for when targets are too close for artillery weapons, and only really for the AOE trait. Nice to have. But not exactly a key weapon for the Dark Cobra. I would call it a good secondary weapon to have for niche situations.
The MAR is something I dig on the Dark Cobra. Because they’re not so fast, long-range weapons pair with Dark Cobras well.
I’m also a sucker for red paint. And red paint looks great on them, especially with the black.
A lot of people assume the artillery rockets are indirect only. It’s probably just the lesser northern players that make this type of mistake. Then I nail them from 3 feet with a Direct Attack from the Dark Cobra’s MAR and they become more enlightened.
“Oh my!’ is right.” I say.
In truth, it doesn’t have any AP:X. And without a bunch of dice modifiers, it’s going to have a hard time putting down something like an MHT-72. It shines more against things like Hunters who thought they were hidden. But boy do I appreciate the look on my opponent’s face when they underestimate artillery rockets.
Because of the artillery rocket’s range, you’ll often have a decent spread of targets for the Dark Cobra to select from. Thinking of it like a sniping weapon is not a bad idea. It’s very much a good weapon because of this. There always seems to be something the MAR can reach and kill. It’s flexible in that way.
The LFG is one of my top choices. Direct and Indirect. Two different ammo options. It’s a very flexible weapon system.
The LFG is also a good anti-armor weapon. The AP is AP:3. That doesn’t mean it does 3 damage automatically. It simply means it’s not as limited as other AP Weapons. Square that monster off against something big and punch a hole in it.
And if your opponent is trying to play spicey and hits you with a swarm of SD Hunters instead of tanks and striders, flick that switch and hit him with the AOE ammo. Womp. SD parts everywhere.
One thing to know is pot shots with an LFG are not the most beneficial thing to do. Always look for ways to get more dice when firing an LFG. This is true of most weapons that don’t come with things like Burst:X, Linked, Precise, etc. Things with Burst:X, Linked and Precise are generally better for those pot-shots-of-opportunity. The LFG needs more deliberate and planned actions to really shine. I tend to Focus the LFG more than the Dark Cobra’s other weapons.
Using forward observers to mark out targets for the Dark Cobra is an effective strategy. Very much worth it. And a good way to get more dice for your LFG.
Womp.
The MGM takes the Dark Cobra’s IDF to a new level. It’s rather exceptional for pairing the Dark Cobra with a spotter.
It’s important to note that it is less exceptional without FOers. It’s almost more of an FO-to-Fire-Mission-only weapon. So, if you’re not as into the E-War part of the game, I can’t recommend it above the MAR or the LFG.
That said, the Guided trait on the MGM paired with an FOer’s Target Designator (TD) can deliver the MGM’s 8-Damage ordnance out to 6 FEET! I still like LFGs for their flexibility and their ability to take on higher-armor enemies. But Confucius says, “Mortars can be a lot of fun too.”
Depends on your play style. Mine favors the LFG and MAR.
Hands, Airdrop, Stealth (Aux) and Vet
Hands means it has hands and limited climbing ability. It also allows certain upgrades. I can’t say much past this except maybe; don’t underestimate the Dark Cobra’s limited climbing ability. It can get on top of a 2-inch building pretty fast.
An elevated Dark Cobra with an HRC is like a Spartan warrior because its GU drops to 2 when shooting at things below it. When you see what that means on the table, combined with Burst:2 and Precise, you’ll want to use expletives in your description of it. GU:2 with a Precise HRC is pretty darn bonkers.
Airdrop allows the Airdrop Special Deployment. It’s good to have. But it can also get your models isolated and picked apart if not careful. Airdropped models can be counter-deployed to death. Literally.
I generally deploy Airdropping models last because of how counter-deployments can be more problematic for them. Airdrop is only as good as the situation dictates. And the Dark Cobra’s longer ranged weapons means it doesn’t exactly need it.
I’ll airdrop some bazookas much sooner. Bazookas need to close in more. So, a Dark Cobra with an HBZ would generally benefit more from being Airdropped. And since I don’t put bazookas on Dark Cobras, you can imagine why I don’t sweat Airdropping Dark Cobras either.
It can be wonderful though. Just kinda depends on what you like and how you play. I’ve murdered enough poorly deployed Para Hunters to know it’s bad to assume Airdrop is always a good thing.
Stealth (Aux), yes please. If my Dark Cobra can’t be sensor locked as easily, that means it has all kinds of passive protection against an assortment of things. And it takes no thinking on my part, which is one of the best things about it.
“What’s that? Your Cheetah is not close enough to FO my Dark Cobra after all? Oh my! Sucks to be you.”
That’s actually a thing. And to be fair, it’s happened to me. I’ve forgotten about an enemy model’s Stealth trait and realized too late I didn’t move close enough. And you can compound this problem for your opponent even more by making the entire force with Stealth-Models.
An all-Stealth Force can be downright painful for your opponent. It forces them to change all their carefully laid out plans if they made those plans under the assumption of having good sensor-range.
And what’s standing right next to the Dark Cobra in the Black Talon Chapter? Lots of other Stealth-Models. The Dark Cobra’s Stealth trait is extra cool when your whole force has Stealth.
Vet unlocks more upgrade options and gives you a reroll via the Skill Point (SP) that comes with it. The additional upgrades are okay. Things like Field Armor and AMS can be helpful. But that SP is a kicker for the HRC especially.
If you ever roll really low with an HRC, it’s depressing. So, if you can reroll that roll, of course it’s useful.
SPs can get a bad reputation. You’ll never forget the times you rolled okay and then spent your SP only to reroll worse. That’s certainly frustrating. I would say it’s a little like playing 21. Hedge your bets carefully and be prepared to have your soul crushed at times.
However, you can probably imagine how they are simply more valuable when you roll horribly. And we all do that eventually. I can easily say my opponent hates them more when I have them. So…
All and all, I would give the Dark Cobra an A+.
- Good Armor
- Hard hitting weapons
- Flexible target selection
- Very capable Gunnery Skill
- Able to be upgraded into several types of duelists.
And it’s from the South, which means it’s just better than everything else already, before they even put guns on it.
I also like the background and lore behind the Dark Cobra. Julius is one of my favorites. Julius is Miranda Petite’s highly customized Dark Cobra. Julius started its life as a southern-made Spitting Cobra. It was born from greatness and joined the Black Talons to help them be great too.
Miranda is even more fun these days. I like the older and more serious Miranda. Is it too cheeky for me to say she’s more interesting after the Black Knight of Seiath killed her stupid boyfriend?
Cheers all,
John Bishop
