Epic units are the most recognized addition to C&C3 in Kane's Wrath. Their power and intimidation make them an extreme threat, especially if they are microed well. This Tip of the Week will help teach you how to counter them effectively.
The first step in countering an Epic Unit would be to prevent your opponent from building one. This means proper scouting to find your opponent's Epic Unit Production Structure and then to destroy it before they can build one.
You will not always be able to stop this, however, and when you are facing an Epic Unit you will need to initiate the proper counters. The effective counters covered in this guide are Aircraft, Artillery, EMP and Pure Overpowering. Using these counters and mixing them can comfortably take down an Epic Unit.
Aircraft:Epic Units start off with no anti-air capabilities and are defenseless against air units unless upgraded or escorted. Most players won't send them in alone, but if there are little or no anti-air defenses or units in the area, then this is an excellent counter. Bombers like Vertigoes and Orcas can deal quick, heavy damage and almost always escape but may not be able to take the Epic Unit out. You will either need to do several bombing runs or have other units around to finish the job. Artillery are particularly useful for this.
However, aircraft that don't need reloading like Scrin Capital Ships, Hammerheads and Venoms can take Epic Units out by themselves, but are more vulnerable as they deal their damage over time. Another advantage of using air is that the Redeemer's Rage Generator has no effect on aircraft. Air Units with Infinite Ammo like the GDI Hammerhead can easily take down Epic units by themselves in the presence of light anti-air.
EMP:By far the most important utility, EMP can make these extremely powerful units defenceless. Because of this, EMP remains the most potent counter to Epic Units. Each faction has its own specialty for keeping Epic Units EMP'ed.
GDI Factions can use either the Shockwave Artillery support power, or the EMP Grenades upgrade for Grenadiers. Both work great although you can keep the EMP up constantly with multiple upgraded grenadiers. Steel Talons do not have access to the EMP Grenades Upgrade. Grenadiers with EMP Grenades can keep an Epic Unit EMP'ed almost constantly when several are used in a cycle.
Nod factions have EMP Coil upgraded Raider Buggies. Although they can be hard to micro, a well microed group can keep the Epic Unit EMP'ed constantly. Core Nod and Marked of Kane can improve on this and stealth their Raider Buggies with a Cloaking Field or Disuption Pods from Vertigoes. The Marked of Kane subfaction is also good at this counter because of their cyborgs' EMP cannons.
Scrin factions only have one way to EMP Epic Units but it is, by far, the most effective. All Tripods have a short range EMP burst, activated by attacking a unit or building at close range. By either walking a few Tripods right up to the Epic unit or teleporting them with a Mastermind/Prodigy you can keep an Epic Unit EMP'ed indefinetly. By teleporting/moving tripods right next to an Epic Unit, you can keep it EMP'ed constantly.
Lastly, all factions have access to the EMP Blast power available by capturing an EMP Control Center with an engineer.
Artillery:The long range, high damage and large splash radius of artillery units can make them a powerful counter to Epic Units. They can help finish off the Epic Unit after an Air Strike or shoot at it safely from behind an army. GDI Juggernauts / Behemoths and Nod Spectres can do massive damage when paired up with any of the other counters, as can Scrin Devastator Warships, although anti-infantry can also do good damage because of the large scatter radius their volleys yield.
Directional Damage:Even Epic Units have directional armor. Only one of them can actually reverse move, the MARV. There are several ways to take advantage of it. Flanking the Epic unit is the most obvious way. Having a group in front of it and behind it can really confuse it and take advantage of this. Also when in epic unit (other than the MARV) retreats be sure to follow it so you can and take advantage of the Directional Armor possibly even finishing it off.
The most effective way to take advantage of Directional Armor is to EMP the Epic Unit. Then you can easily move your units behind it and deal massive damage as the epic unit is completely harmless.
Special Thanks to: RenegadeNukes for help with Aircraft and EMP section.
Ice^Blade for Correcting Spelling and Grammatical Errors.
MEXICANBROTHER for losing his MARV in such a horrible way to my Tripods.
