A Comprehensive Guide to Beating Clone Commandos

Are you tired of losing games to Clone Commandos and their funny glowing visors?  Are you of the opinion that they are busted and this is the reason why every clone player is using them?  If this is you, then let’s have a chat about how to counter the new hotness!  

Now before we go any further, I want to take a moment to remind everyone how the meta in Legion works.  A new unit will be released (Commandos), everyone will naturally want to take that new unit in their list, and as a result you’ll see it everywhere for the next couple months.  However, once the luster has worn off, the player base will have the knowledge to counter it and will have grown tired of it.  Remember how Tempest Force was everywhere for a couple months last year?  It’s not that Tempest Force is bad now, it’s that the polish has faded and now all the Empire players want to play are Range Troopers (the new hotness).  

The whole reason I'm writing this article is because portions of the playerbase are still in the throes of learning how to beat Clone Commandos. This doesn’t mean that Commandos are busted, it means that they are still the new and shiny option and will be until Bad Batch drops.  (As a quick aside, they’re also the only clone release since Cody/Boil in 2023, and then the ISP in 2022.  Clone players have been dying for a new unit for literal years.)  So before the Bad Batch gets here and completely scrambles Republic listbuilding again, lemme show you how to do those Commando baddies in.  

Let’s begin by defining what Clone Commandos are:

I’ve got photos here of their unit cards and upgrades, but I've no intention of breaking this all down for you.  Unless you’ve been under a rock since Adepticon you’ll have heard someone talk about these cards.  What I’d like to do instead is tell you what I see Clone Commandos as.  

Think of Commandos as heavy-duty, short-range strike teams with a scary range two profile.  Unlike a proper strike team, Commandos can only fire their “sniper rifle” at range 3-4.  It rolls more dice than the typical marksmen rifle, but Commandos don’t have the Sharpshooter keyword.  An attack with the sniper config actually bears a strong resemblance to the shot made by a Fluttercraft’s Bowcaster.  Commandos sorta make up for their lack of Sharpshooter by bringing Target 1 and Lethal 1, however their weapon is exhaustible and needs to be recovered after each shot.  If Commandos want to shoot with their sniper config round after round, the end result is one of the most static units you’ll ever encounter.  

At range two commandos can shoot either their grenade launcher config or their standard blaster profile.  Both of these shots seem scary (Suppressive, Impact and Scatter being the respective keywords), but truthfully they aren’t all that new.  Scout Troopers can throw more dice at range two with Pierce and Sharpshooter for almost the same price. Meanwhile, the Commando’s Suppressive pistol attack is less scary than that of a Wookie Warrior squad.  If enemy Commandos have to move and shoot with this pistol, then you’ve likely put your opponent in a position they don’t want to be in.  

If your opponent is shooting with their Suppressive configuration, you’re likely giving them a run for their money.  Commandos would prefer their targets to walk into them while they recover their shields, Uplinks and weapons round after round.  To negate this advantage, you’ve gotta be mobile with effective firepower.  Stop playing the gunline game against a Clone ball, you’ll lose.  

So then, let’s talk about the variety of methods you can employ to beat Clone Commandos.  I’m not going to dwell long on these points, I'm just looking to get your mind accustomed to the idea of beating Commandos.  After I've discussed ways to beat them, I'm going to list the units that I, as a Commando player, hate seeing across the table from me.

A) Kill the support around them

Clone Commandos don’t operate in a vacuum; and if they do they aren’t much good.  In their sniper configuration they’re likely to do only two wounds per round (heavy cover will remove two hits) and be overwhelmingly static while doing this.  Commandos want to be fire-supported to increase their punch and justify their points.  Once you begin to remove the support around them, they won’t be able to keep up the damage race your army is bringing to bear. As my good friend Joel has often said: “I just don’t ever bother shooting at Commandos.”  This is of course hyperbolic, but does get to the root of the problem.  Most players waste time shooting at their opponents' hardest unit when they should be tearing into that soft underbelly.  Shoot the corps!

Additionally, without other clones they won’t have the shared green tokens to power them up and keep them alive. This means they will become very reliant on their recovery actions to give them their shield and aim token each round (most Commandos bring HQ Uplink). Plus, the Clone corps unit usually brings with it nasty components like Boil, Fives and Medics.  Removing these will make the “heroes” easier to dispose of.  Force your opponent to use their medic charges and Guardian rolls on run of the mill soldiers instead of their elites.   Most Republic players have 2-3 squads of Clonemandos, this means they’ve less points to spend elsewhere on good activations.  Kill the other weaker squads now and return to the Commandos when they’re unsupported.  Kill the corps first and you’ll be on the right track.  

B) Hamstring them 

Too many players read Katarn Pattern Armor and despair for their lives.  They fail to understand that triggering Katarn is still a win.  Unlike most units in the game, Commandos don’t have a heavy weapon trooper; the entire squad shares the same weapon.  This means that by dealing a single wound you’ve not only removed 25% of their potential dice, but you’ve limited their damage output by even more.  If a Commando team is trying to snipe, then rolling three dice instead of four means that their damage output past heavy cover (hard to avoid when shooting range 3-4) is cut in half.  Even at range two you’ve removed a quarter of their dice and possibly a third of their damage potential if you’ve gotten yourself to heavy cover.  

Clone Commandos are weak when wounded.  For them to continue contributing to the game they’ve either got to close the distance and roll their larger dice pool (thus making it even easier for you to get shots), or be healed by a medic.  It can be demoralizing to see them healed by a medic after all of your hard work, but remember that medics aren’t cheap in the Republic.  This argument will break apart as soon as I make it, but think of the Clone Medic as a fifteen point upgrade for the Commandos.  That makes the Commando squad a 90 point unit (100 if they brought HQ Uplink).  Each wound dealt to a 90 point squad is a big deal.  

Those wounds are a big deal because once a Commando squad is cut in half, they aren’t good for much more than playing objectives. If you’re up against multiple squads of Commandos, treat them like you would a speeder bike squad.  Kill a model or two, then move on.  Don’t get bogged down trying to pick up those last two wounds, wait until the late game to chase points.  Focus on winning the gun battle now by stopping the units that can actually hurt you.  Let the Clone Commandos be expensive, wounded squads that can’t meaningfully contribute to the battle.  Once you’ve hamstrung the enemy army, then you can afford to chase killpoints and goof around.  

C) Outbody them

What do I mean by this?  I’m speaking of playing lists that outnumber a Republic gunline.  Clone Troopers are a quality over quantity kinda army.  Yes their shots hurt, but if the Republic Fire Supports too much then they can give you multiple uncontested activations at the end of each round.  Use this free time to flank, take plink shots and generally play the objective.  Medics aren’t worth much when all the wounds are taken at the end of the round while out-activated.  

You don’t even need a super high activation list to make this tactic work.  Most Clonemando lists are sitting right around 8-9 activations.  If you’re a Rebel or CIS player, you’ve got an abundance of cheap activations available to you that can push you into that 10-11 activation range.  Or, if high activations aren’t your thing, bring a lot of wounds instead.  Swarms of troopers or something chonky like a LOS blocking Droideka can do the trick too.  The point I'm making here (and the sole reason for mentioning the Droideka) is that sometimes quantity is its own quality.  If you stay outside of range two, Clone Commandos can’t do much damage unless fire-supported.  If you’ve got more wounds then they’ve got dice (a very likely scenario against a triple Commando+Jedi list) then they can be literally helpless to stop you.

D) Punch them

Clone Commandos biggest weakness is melee.  Neither shields nor Katarn Pattern Armor work while engaged.  Furthermore, melee Pierce shreds them apart.  I’m getting ahead of myself a bit by listing off units, but Wookiees, Ewoks, Jedi, Beskad Dualists and Tauntauns terrify Commandos.  Large melee attacks or attacks with Pierce are really bad news for a Commando team.  Vibroblades can really slap, but if the Commandos attack second it’ll be with limp sails.  If you can bring multiple melee threats then you’re nearly guaranteed to get one of them into (and through) Republic Commandos.  Wookiees excel at this with their high wound count, Ewoks dodge so many hits with their Low Profile and Inquisitors are the perfect counter due to their cheap price and splendid mobility.  Take a melee unit or two and you’ll be glad you did.  

E) Pierce them

Traditional sniper rifles make a decent counter against Commandos.  While it is true that Commandos have a shield, that shield won’t mean as much when you’ve got more than one sniper.  The first shot can strip the shield, then the next shot can pick up a body.  Katarn Pattern Armor has no answer against this tactic and strike teams can safely operate at the extreme edge of range five where they are outside the reach of their target.  

Now you may think this is a waste of your time/points to spend 2-3 activations per round dealing 1-2 wounds to a single squad.  But remember, the point is not to kill the entire Clonemando squad.  You’ve just gotta deal 1-2 wounds and make them worthless for anything but objective play.  In the case of Cassian and Iden, you can deal one wound on your very first shot!  By round three you can hamstring all three of your opponents Commando squads and move on to the rest of their list (if you can strip the shield before Cassian/Iden activate, you could take half the squad in one go!).

F) Crit them

Another thing that Commandos don’t want to do is roll 1-2 defense dice over and over again.  This is why the T-21 and CM-O/93 exist.  Critical results jump straight past cover, dodges, Guardian (most of the time) and head right for their targets.  It’ll feel boring, but a chipping battle with Clone Commandos can be won.  If you’re a Rebel player, then chances are your list already includes Critical 8 whether you intended to or not.  Use Critical to your advantage and force them to roll dice.  However, remember recommendation A and don’t start this battle until you’ve dealt with the supports buoying the Commandos up. Time your shots correctly (after the medic activations or when the commandos are out of Guardian range) and you can start whittling those squads down to size.  

G) Guardian against them

This is a brief point, but if you can use Guardian against the Clonemando sniper config then you can neuter it.  Obviously the list of units with this keyword is rather short, but Obi-wan and Ahsoka especially stand out because of their Immune: Pierce.  Soresu Mastery can also have a fun interaction when rolling surges since wounds received in this manner will bypass Commando shields and Katarn Pattern Armor.  Chewbacca is also a good investment because he has so, so many wounds available to shut down key sniper shots.  I’m not saying Guardian is the key to beating Commandos, but it’s a neat little interaction you can have in your toolbox to help fight back.  

H) Outmaneuver them

I’ll say it again in case it hasn’t stuck already, Commandos are overwhelmingly static.  They want to recover each round or they’ll be in a tough spot for the following round.  Did that Commando squad move and shoot this round?  If so, they can’t do it again in the following round.  Unless they charge up into range two, they’ll be mired down with a recover action during their next activation.  Use this to your advantage.  Force them to move.

Don’t put your troops in a spot that will give Clone Commandos the opportunity to simply recover and shoot.  Or at the very least, don’t allow them to do this while Fire Supported.  Make your gun battle fluid and tough to pin down.  Whenever possible, use line of sight blocking terrain to shift yourself out of sight and force the Commandos to move.  The key to beating any unit is to not play to their strengths.  

I) Ion them

Shields and Ion don’t mix well.  Performing an attack with this keyword strips their shield simply by finding a single hit in the attack roll, you don’t even need to make it past cover or their defense!  Legion doesn’t have many Ion weapons in its roster, so I'd be sure to stick to the popular/well known ones such as the Dwarf Spider Droid and Bistan.  Yes, the Snail tank has Ion at range 2, but that’s also the danger zone where the grenade launcher config can clap back.  Stick to the Ion guns that operate in the Commandos “weak” zone, aka range three and beyond. 

J)Suppress them

Clonemandos are only courage two.  The Republic doesn’t have much in terms of Inspiring leaders and I’ve talked at length about the Commando’s need to recover each round.  If they are limited to a single action, then they won’t get to perpetuate their wombo-combo and be all set for the upcoming round.  Suppressing them is almost as effective as outmaneuvering them.  Furthermore, (barring weird interactions) you can only suppress them by shooting them.  It’s possible that you may wound them and suppress them all in one go, which is, in fact, a double whammy.  

K) Counter-Infiltration

Clonemandos don’t do a lot of damage without Fire-Support help.  Commandos ideally want to infiltrate just forward of their friends and sit pretty for the rest of the game.  When round two begins, they’ll have friendly corps available to boost their potential damage output.  

A sneaky and aggressive infiltration of your own can put a hitch in their come-along that’ll leave them out of position during round one.  It’s possible that you could put them out of position for even longer by denying a key rooftop or piece of difficult terrain.  If they choose to shoot their rifles in round one, then they’ll be further encumbered in round two as they try to build their ideal nests instead of just beginning there.  An aggressive (but safe) counter-infiltration will allow you to draw your own battle lines without getting picked at by Commandos in idyllic positions.  

Now that you’re knowledgeable and competent in countering Commandos, let's make you fecund by helping you choose the right units to beat them with.  The following are all units that give Commandos pause, trouble or fear.  I’m not going to rank them in any order, because their value will be largely due to the battle deck, table and player. The following are units that, when played well, give Clone Commandos the willies.  

I’m going to apologize in advance for not including unit cards for each of these units, I'm just feeling lazy today.  

• Pathfinders

Everyone loves Infiltration and everyone loves Bistan; everyone except Clone Commandos.  Bistan combines both Counter-Infiltration and Ion together to make life difficult for the baddies. Even at range four, Bistan and Company is throwing 8 white and a black; you’ll be sure to strip the shield and maybe even Katarn Pattern Armor if luck is in your favor.  If it isn’t, then you’ll at least cause them to roll a single defense die which is another of our goals mentioned earlier.  Pao isn’t quite as good, but as a follow-up to Bistan he’s not a bad call.  

• Inferno

Inferno offers more counter-infiltration accompanied by piercing critical results that can sometimes pick up a model or two per shot.  They’ll need aim support to make this work, but keep them close to Iden and you’ll be good to go.  

• Rebel Vets

The CM-0/93 is an excellent counter while allowing you to keep yourself just outside of the bigtime gun battle.  A few of these make an excellent counter to almost any Clone gunline.  

• FD Cannons

These aren’t the biggest counter to ever exist, but they do a solid job at sitting just behind your battleline and making life difficult for Clones in general.  Range five is meaningful in today's meta.

• Comms jamming

If you can get into range one of Clone Troopers you’ll shut down all kinds of hijinks.  Commandos will lose Target 1 (they don’t have a third action to spend on aiming), corps can’t Fire Support and Anakin can’t utilize Defend 1.  Range one is a dangerous place to be, but if you can pair it well with the next unit type it might not be so bad. 

• Overrun 

Remember how Clone Commandos don’t like to roll against 1-2 wounds over and over again?  Here’s a unit type that’ll make them do just that.  Fluttercrafts and Swoops are the best form of Overrun, but Geonosians exist as well.  You gotta be careful on your approach and back up their charge with other threats, but it makes a good counter when things go well.

• Melee Skew Armies

Wookies pair well with Flutters because they bring a huge threat right on the tail of that Fluttering attack run.  Furthermore, Duelist slaps hard in melee and will gobble up Commandos.  Ewoks, BX Commandos and Tauntauns (each in their respective battleforces) continue this trend by being tough to kill and tougher in the brawl.  

• Inquisitors
  

Like most saber-users, Inquisitors will have no difficulty picking up an entire Commando squad in a single swipe.  Their cheap price point helps them fit into a variety of lists without pigeon-holing you into an archetype.  I’m not going to write further on the Inquisitors right now, because we’ve got a guest article coming soon written by an expert who’s found success with them. 

• Mandalorians

Surging red saves with Impervious laugh at Commandos.  Furthermore, Mandalorians slap harder at range two than Commandos do.  If you bring one of the Mandalorian heroes (Boba, Din or Sabine) then you’ll just carve through Clones like a chainsaw.

• Tempest (triple armor skew or sniper skew)

Now this is a battleforce that was forgotten about too quickly.  Yes, Clone gunlines bring a lot of impact with them, but nobody likes defending against triple-rainbow attacks three times in a single round.  Keep yourself at the extreme edge of range three and their grenade launchers can’t reach you anyways.  It can probably go without saying, but lots of sniper rifles is once again something that Clones don’t like to see.

• Range Four gunlines

Range and Death Troopers anyone?  Combine Suppressive with consistent dice pools and just friggin’ outshoot those fools.  Empire has the strongest range four game in Legion, but the Rebellion has a good go at it too.   

• Orbital Bombadrments/Infinite range snipers

I’ve already explained the value of Iden and Cassian, but don’t forget the value of those command cards that can hurt from outer space as well.  Every wound made against Clonemandos matters.  These command cards don’t do a lot of damage, but they set you up to harm a squad or two and start the game in a favorable position.  

• Geonosians?  
  

They’re kinda their own archetype all by themselves.  They combine movement, Overrun, close range firepower and objective plays all in one.  They’re sorta like speeders made of flesh.  Use their momentum to obfuscate the Cloneball long enough for the rest of your army to cut the knees out from under your opponent.  Don’t make the mistake of letting them waste themselves for a few measly wounds that can be healed back uncontested.  

• Speeders

Flutters, Barcs, Speeder Bikes, Swoops etc. all have mobility on their side.  Commandos don’t have mobility.  Hit ‘em with ye olde flank and spank before zipping away to cover again.  Remember, the goal isn’t to kill them in one shot (it’s impossible), it’s to hamstring them so they can’t contribute to the game anymore.  It’s not about killing all of the Clonemandos, just enough to allow you to ignore them.  

Obviously no list can utilize all of the suggestions I just made.  And perhaps now that you’ve seen my suggestions you may choose to ignore every single one of them.  That’s fine, the important part is to realize the limitations of the Commando’s toolkit.  It’s a good kit (a bit of a Swiss Army knife in fact) but, like any jack-of-all trades, they’ll be outmatched when put up against a true master.  Figure out which piece of your list does the Commando’s job better and pit this unit against them.  If all else fails and you’ve terribly mis-deployed, then just focus on killing corps and taking the objective.  Remember, the new hotness is predictable, static, has mediocre sculpts and is beatable.  

Until next time, stop complaining about Clone CoMEHndos.