How do I use the Zenith Guard effectively?

I just unlocked the Zenith Guard squad, but I'm having a bit of a hard time using them properly. They have the following mechs:

• Laser Mech (deals damage in a straight line)
• Charge Mech (charges and damages enemy and self)
• Defense Mech (can pull enemy 1 square and throw shields)

My main issue is that while the Laser Mech has serious damage potential, the other two don't. The Defense Mech doesn't deal any direct damage, and the Charge Mech always damages itself, which means I have to waste rounds repairing, and it's a particular problem when the bonus goal is a certain maximum amount of mech damage. And the Laser Mech can be a serious pain to aim without hitting anything friendly.

My first guess was that the Laser Mech is meant to do almost all damage, but the other two simply don't have enough ways to move enemies to line them up properly.

What are the synergies I can exploit with those mechs? Any particular strategies this squad is designed for?

Solution 1:

The Zenith Guard can be really powerful if used correctly.

The Laser Mech is your primary damage dealer. It deals a lot of damage, and it's piercing ability can allow you to wipe out multiple enemies a turn with proper positioning. Using the Charge Mech dash attack and the Defense Mech pull attack are both great way of increasing the effectiveness of this unit.

Upgrade wise the Ally Immunity upgrade is the most important for the Laser Mech, since it'll make all friendly units immune to the beam attack (this includes trains, but not buildings). The damage boost is the next most important upgrade, since it'll vastly improve it's killing potential. Once you unlock Henry he'll make a great pilot for this mech, since his ability to move through enemy units will really help you to fully utilize piercing attack.

The Charge Mech does really good damage too, especially if you combo enemies into each other. The knock back combined with the long range of the charge offers a lot of utility too, and you should be using it to position enemies into hazards (both environmental hazards and unit attacks) and away from your buildings whenever possible.

The main downside to the Charge Mech, of course, is that it damages itself, which is why upgrading it's health should be your number 1 priority. The first power upgrade you get should go to the Charge Mech, since those 2 extra pips of health will make a huge difference, allowing you to go most battles without needing to worry about healing at all. The pilot which grants a mech armor is fantastic for this mech, since it'll reduce the self-inflicted damage by 1 (and it can reduce it to 0). Before you upgrade this mech's HP then using the shield from the Defense Mech is your best way to to fully utility your Charge Mech.

Last but not least is the Defense Mech, which offers a lot of utility. It's shield is great for saving buildings and mechs alike (Charge Mech is an ideal target, as mentioned above), although you only have 2 uses of it so be careful not to waste it. The pulling ability is the real gem, though, since the positioning advantages it offers are huge. Offensively you can use this to pull enemies into hazards, your laser mech's attack, or even into the attacks of other enemies. Defensively you can use it to pull enemies away from your buildings and units, or even break your mechs out of webbing. You can even combo the knockback from the charge mech with the pull ability to really start pulling off some crazy battle shannigans. It definitely pays to be creative when using the pull ability.

Proper positioning is really important for the defense mech, so the movement upgrade is a good one to grab. Extra uses of your shield can be really helpful too, but it depends how much you use it. I'd focus on upgrading your other mech's before this one, though.

Solution 2:

If you unlock the pilot Abe Isamu then he makes a great pilot for the Charge Mech - his armour ability cancels out the self damage, so you end up with two powerful offensive mechs and a reasonably powerful defensive one as well.

Solution 3:

I've found the Defence Mech to be very useful;
- Its shield is extremely powerful
- It can fly
- It can pull enemies into water/lava
- It can pull enemies into each other's lie of fire

The ability to fly has huge synergy with its pull attack as you are free to position the mech almost anywhere.

I find the Charge Mech a bit less useful; you have to be careful due to it damaging itself. Definitely the weak link. Don't forget that you can shield it, then have it attack and take no damage.

The Laser Mech does a lot of damage. Without upgrades it does 3 damage to adjacent squares, which is more than anything else I've got unlocked.

All three mechs become much more powerful once they are given extra reactor power. The Charge can gain more health, the Defence can gain more movement and the Laser can prevent damage to allies. I think the purpose of this trio is that they become more powerful quickly.