Hello Kitty
These are the first multi-figure Creatures in Imperial Assault! As such, they'll be played differently than all the other creatures: Both figures will not benefit from Beast Tamer and they don't have the same thick pools of Health as the others. So what are their strengths?
For the purposes of this article, we'll evaluate both the regular and elite versions. The regular version of Loth-cats make for very cheap objective runners and support figures for other Creature figures; the elite version has some interesting options when attacking.
Attacking
Pounce is necessary for these low-health figures to attack, and should be used constantly. The static Pierce 1 on both deployment cards is a nice touch for having a blue/green attack pool. Here's what their expected attack output looks like. (As usual, we won't be factoring in rerolls.)
Red: rLothcat vs. one black die
Green: rLothcat vs. one white die
Blue: eLothcat vs. one black die
Yellow: eLothcat vs. one white die
Notice that rLothcats do not have a 100% chance of doing at least 1 DMG vs. a black die. For figures with a figure cost of 3, the elite lolcatz have pretty decent odds of doing at least 3 DMG. Here's what it looks like when both figures from the elite lolcatz deployment card attacks the same target in one activation:
Red: 2 eLothcats vs. same figure, one black die
Green: 2 eLothcats vs. same figure, one white die
If the elite lolcatz give themselves a damage token using Fresh Catch before attacking the same figure, the damage output looks like this:
Red: 2 eLothcats with +1 DMG vs. same figure, one black die
Green: 2 eLothcats with +1 DMG vs. same figure, one white die
Two figures in a cost 6 deployment that can do 8 DMG to a single die figure is not bad. Granted it'll take some setup with Fresh Catch, but at least they can do that to themselves.
The lolcatz not having the Brawler trait hurts a bit of their attack mobility and damage output. Sadly, most of the Creature command cards are also not optimal for the lolcatz to use. It's tough for the elite lolcatz to use Roar, since they'll have to have suffered 3 or more DMG. Ferocity really should be used on a Creature figure that has a more powerful attack. Wild Fury might be okay if your elite lolcatz can Pounce in for the first attack and then Wild Fury for an additional Focused attack.
The lolcatz's static Pierce 1 is probably the best situation for playing the Feral Swipes card. But the damage output is still a bit disappointing:
Red: lothcat Feral Swipes red die vs. one black die
Green: lothcat Feral Swipes red die vs. one white die
Lolcatz can use Death Blow (for +2 DMG vs. ranged attackers). And just about any mobility card (Urgency, Fleet Footed, Hit and Run, etc.) will help the Lolcatz to attack and run away from retribution.
Defending
With 3 or 5 Health and a black die with no other defense bonuses, lolcats aren't designed to withstand more than one attack. An elite lolcat with a block token or evade token from Fresh Catch will have a better chance of surviving one attack but it is not guaranteed. Like with Hired Guns, you'll need to plan on your opponent taking lolcatz' 4 or 6 deployment points from you anytime during the game.
Utility
Lolcatz are pretty good objective runners due to their figure cost and speed. They're not going to last standing on an objective point, but they can be used to deny objective points or sit on control points that are uncontested and out-of-sight from your opponent's figures. With the Curious strain penalty, they aren't the best for objectives that require an interact (such as on Mos Eisley Back Alleys) or for opening doors; however, it's a fair trade-off if you want more Creature synergy in your list.
And if you're wanting to run a Creature list, Rat Catcher and Fresh Catch makes other Creatures more playable. Rancors can now start off with two defensive power tokens before moving into a position to be shot at. Same can happen to Captain Terro if you bring in some lolcatz with Temporary Alliance. With the elite lolcatz, your elite Nexu can gain evade tokens that will be immensely powerful with their Cunning ability.
Conclusions
Like the Clawdite Shapeshifters, the lolcatz are hybrid supports. I can't imagine multiple deployments of lolcatz being effective soldiers due to their low defense and health -- maybe some more Creature cards that comes with Tyrants of Lothal enabled a cat pack. However I expect at least one deployment of regular or elite lolcatz to be paired up with other Creatures, which will make all the Creatures (including the lolcatz themselves) more powerful. Elite lolcatz can also be effective ambushing the support figures of your opponents in the mid or late game, chipping into that Rebel Landing Gear, Rebel Care Package or the herd of regular Imperial Officers trying to control objectives and/or terminals.
All in all, Loth-cats are an excellent addition to Imperial Assault: they provide more play options without turning the meta on its head.
Evaluate THIS!
Check out my older Evaluating Tyrants articles:
Edited by cnemmick