A while back, I posted a thread about what units hang out on your shelf or stay in the box. Now, I want to ask the opposite- what units do you always find yourself coming back to for one reason or another? Could be great rules, pretty paint jobs, a fond memory of acquiring it, but you come back to it all the same.
Besides my fondness for the Iowa, I usually try to get Saratoga/Akagi into lists I run. Both are big, tough carriers with surprising offensive punch (and it's always fun to sink a battleship with carrier gunfire, even if it is crippled), and in larger games with a second carrier they really pull their weight. The Akagi model is also very pretty as well.
The man who gets beat down isn't the loser. The guy who can't tough it out to the end, he's the one who loses.
Lots of good ole standbys: U510 for GER, Emily or Akitsuki for IJN it’s a toss up, Sunderland for UK, USS Phelps for USA, although USS Enterprise rolls out of the tackle box frequently, HCMS Haida for CDN
Nelson or Rodney or both. The jamming gun mounts on the King George V models is just a pain. Not an even match with Yamato but the best the Brits had short of the unfinished Lion Class.
Something Haguro, as cliche as it is, it's such a strong unit. It is always first on the list of IJN cruisers for me. I also find myself pulling Z32 all the time because of that significant range boost for hunting other DDs.
Also I've made a custom card for the USS Heermann that I really enjoy using. Putting in in a similar vein as the Hoel, but with a similar sprint to French DDs to reflect it escaping an undersea fate during the Battle off Samar. It's very tricky to use but when used properly it works well.
I have to admit that I have a softness for the British Swordfish (either version)... there's just that special look of horror when a biplane gets through the air defenses and Torpedoes your opponents ship that just can't be beat.
Swordfish are horror, especially when paired with the Devastator and a some bad rolling, all the more so when it is the Mk. I with the 3 torpedo dice and Lucky Hit aimed for your only battleship :-)
For my own builds, the Elite Zero and Naka show up a lot, along with Suffren (which always will seem good to me, since I got Sydney first and was surprised at their equal costing) and Giorgis Averof (two range-3 attacks can really hurt enemy light forces, and one time in particular, she got the better of Nagato, with the help of some aircraft, to be sure.)
Proteus also sees a lot of use, being cheap and having risky attack to threaten other submarines and battleships.
University Student— Lover of Plato, Aristotle, War At Sea, Palestrina, and Mozart
I've gained a fondness for the Suzuya in a number of my IJN lists. Torpedoes aren't the best compared to some Japanese ships, but Torpedo Swarm can really clear a room and Raider makes her perfect for hammering DDs that would be harassing your battleships
The man who gets beat down isn't the loser. The guy who can't tough it out to the end, he's the one who loses.