I played in (and won) the Sunday Flashpoint tournament at Origins on June 21st. I'm a bit late in posting this but here we are. Some thoughts on my first use of most of Noble Team.

My team:

Jomilir [200 / 200]

~ List Valid ~

SPARTAN GUNGNIR [+46]

- - Spartan Fists

- - M319 Grenade Launcher

EMILE-A239 NOBLE FOUR [SPARTAN LEGEND] [+52]

- - Kukri Blade

- - M45 Shotgun

JORGE-052 NOBLE FIVE [SPARTAN LEGEND] [+70]

- - Spartan Fists

- - M247H HMG

Special Order: Snap Shot (Any Spartan) [+5]

Extra Weapon: Focus Rifle [+8]

Extra Items: Drop Wall x 1 [+2]

Extra Items: Explosive Ammo x 1 [+3]

Extra Items: Thruster x 1 [+3]

Extra Items: Grappleshot x 1 [+5]

Extra Items: Hardlight Shield x 1 [+6]

I really wanted to use my noble team guys since I finally got a couple painted. Overall they have a ton of synergy together and Jorge proved to be a beast the whole tournament.

Game 1: Strongholds

vs Kat and 2x Plasma Launcher Gungnir

- - Combat Knives

- - Spartan Laser on 1

This was a fairly close game until a couple well timed things went my way near the end of the game. My Gungnir was in combat with the non-splaser gungnir for nearly the whole game on the 2 VP spot, scoring only when Emil got a lucky shotgun knockback. Emil and Kat kept trading blows on the 4 VP point but Kat couldn't ever get it alone.

Ultimately, the score completely went my way at the end of round 3 when Jorge with his picked up energy sword, standing next to the 3 VP point, sliced the splaser gungnir straight in half when it broke away then my gungnir dusted Kat with the focus rifle even though she was in the 4 VP cube with Emil.

Honorable mention here for this being the only game that hardlight Jorge was killed, all it took was several spartan laser hits. It was interesting to see Kat in action as well. I think she really does have a place in the game that I was underestimating before going against her. If you can get her a good weapon that Fast Transition into an Assault with Smash is pretty awesome.

Game 2: Extraction

vs 2 Hydra Jiralhanea Captains and 1 Ravager Jiralhanea Captain

I love playing with the Jiralhanea Hunting Party and Captains. Them being able to use Aerial Deployment has made them ultra playable and good for most modes. Unfortunately, this is a very "swingy" mode for them and Jorge having suppression just makes it unfair to them. Emil was my primary point grabber, planting the extraction device as his first move. Followed by Jorge going up to higher terrain and hitting shots to suppress at least 1 captain a round. If he didn't, then my Gungnir did with his grenade launcher.

Emil got a whole lot of luck this game by throwing his grenade and then dying to get it back, picking up a fuel rod gun, and having a few well placed sprints with his thruster. Several times Emil should have died with a brute in his cube but survived until my Gungnir dropped his plasma in to scatter them both. I tried to keep Jorge in the middle and my Gungnir and Emil on opposite corners of the map to keep scoring chances higher.

My strategy, which was only minorly successful was to keep the captains mostly alive but pinned. I got more kills than I expected and ended up with 10 achievements but without my Fuel Rod pick up I think that would have been closer to 6 or 7.

Emil with snapshot works super well against brutes, mostly. Jorge having suppression works super well against brutes without a doubt. Not getting aerial deployments due to unlucky command dice is very rough on that game mode but 1 point was scored and 1 was disarmed from Aerial.

Game 3: Seige

vs 2 bullfrogs, 1 shotgun firebreak, 1 ODST Captain

with a whole lot of gear

Prior to this game starting my opponent and I were joking that his list was quite squishy. While that was true, I am also a bit of a fool so I let him get a capture on his first activation of the second round of the game. He landed a perfect hot drop onto the flag in the first round and then from a sprint, thruster, grapple, and movement die, he made it all the way in for 7 points. I thought it was only worth 4 points and had not counted the cubes and his movement dice. It was probably the best play of my whole day.

Most of the game was a kill trading session between Emil/Gungnir and his 2 bullfrogs. I had a couple very lucky saves and he had 2 rounds without a hot drop. Jorge only moved to the opposing sides capture/respawn point to cut one off with snapshot and keep pinning the other models as they came in. Unfortunately, as seems to happen with many game modes, it becomes slayer for me. Every time I make a move toward the flag I have to pivot to wipe his team off the board. (A very, my lobster is too buttery complaint I know.)

The hammer frog was doing super well up until the captain got killed after his activation on a couple rounds severing the ability to generate command dice.

Round 5, it's 17-19, his final activation of the game, he spawns his fuel rod bull frog in to the same cube as his gravity hammer bull frog and hit Jorge's cube in an attempt to kill the 2 health remaining big guy for 3 points. He only landed one hit and I saved several. My Gungnir activated and hit with the Frag(5) profile, only hitting 3 of the shots. One bull frog beat it and the other was thrown into the wall for a massive wall splat, giving me the victory.

Final thoughts:

I ended the tournament in first place only missing a single point via achievements and only beating second place by 1 point. I kindly thank both Round Table Games and Mantic for the prize support and hope more people can make it out next year for all of the Flashpoint tournaments.

While I did win all three of my games I think I would change a few things about my list.

- The drop wall was helpful in one game but the 2 points may have been better as 1 time dice or combined with the explosive ammo and focus rifle for a better gun on the Gungnir.

- Focus rifle had a couple good hits but I'm not sure if its better than an extra command die.

- ODST really held their own better than I thought a 4 man team would. Maybe worth another look to try them out.

- Giving Emil a grenade weapon works very well. He was generating tons of VP for me via picked up weapons, assaults, and snapshots. I like having him with a thruster and grapple but could go many ways with his kit.

Watch Flashpoint 1.5 and new models played live

I'm guessing we're getting an assault rifle Chief with this.

UNSC getting love too

Welcome to the monthly painting contest! Wipe the grime from your visor, polish your boots, and gloss your tactical rocks, it's time to submit your best work.

This month's mini:

Any Halo Flashpoint model or group of models. Give me your most football-y, soccer-fied, World Cup theme.

Anything you want that fits the theme - Got a guy with your country's colors? Black and White referee stripes are you thing? A set of goal keepers? General soccer hooligans? Have fun with it and put what they are in the description.

Contest Rules:

1. Submit a picture of your best painted monthly mini as a top level comment.
   1. You may submit more images as replies to that comment.
   2. Naming your model isn't required but it is fun and I count it as bonus points.
   3. Giving your model a back story isn't required but it is fun and I count it as bonus points.
2. Most upvoted top level image wins top honors. Most replies will be used as a tie breaker.
3. An official model is not required but it must be in roughly the same pose.
4. It can be rebased but should be in roughly the same pose.
5. It should be a model that you painted but I have no way to verify that its your work. I'm a mod, not an ONI operative.
6. Any physical background or terrain can be used.
7. Please no doctored, shopped, or AI images. If you want to digitally modify some lighting or brightness I won't know but your lack of honor will be all over the Banished Battle Net.
8. Multiple entries are acceptable as their own top level comment.
9. Contest voting is enabled to try to make voting more fair.
10. Contest closes around the end of May. I suggest submitting an image early to get a jump on the voting.
11. Submissions can be painted prior to this month. It is not a requirement to paint it the month of submission.

Prizes:

The top upvoted models will earn eternal recognition via custom user flair: "Best Painted World Cup 2026".

So much Banished

Zeta halo week! Flashpoint players are eating good for a bit.

Awesome interview from the truth and reconciliation guys. Tons of info on what's coming soon.

Welcome to the monthly painting contest! Wipe the grime from your visor, polish your boots, and gloss your tactical rocks, it's time to submit your best work.

This month's mini:

Sangheili Mercenary - Needler

My personal favorite weapon. Show me you best pink mist generators.

Contest Rules:

1. Submit a picture of your best painted monthly mini as a top level comment.
   1. You may submit more images as replies to that comment.
   2. Naming your model isn't required but it is fun and I count it as bonus points.
   3. Giving your model a back story isn't required but it is fun and I count it as bonus points.
2. Most upvoted top level image wins top honors. Most replies will be used as a tie breaker.
3. An official model is not required but it must be in roughly the same pose.
4. It can be rebased but should be in roughly the same pose.
5. It should be a model that you painted but I have no way to verify that its your work. I'm a mod, not an ONI operative.
6. Any physical background or terrain can be used.
7. Please no doctored, shopped, or AI images. If you want to digitally modify some lighting or brightness I won't know but your lack of honor will be all over the Banished Battle Net.
8. Multiple entries are acceptable as their own top level comment.
9. Contest voting is enabled to try to make voting more fair.
10. Contest closes around the end of May. I suggest submitting an image early to get a jump on the voting.
11. Submissions can be painted prior to this month. It is not a requirement to paint it the month of submission.

Prizes:

The top upvoted models will earn eternal recognition via custom user flair: "Best Painted Sangheili Needler".