The FC is the offensive commander among the sm heroes... well that's what it says above his photograph in the character selection.. I'm going to tell your right now.. that is pretty misleading.. In this meta. to be an offensive commander you need to be a tank.. A tank is somebody with really respectable health, and usually does not have problem with being controlled. The Force commander however, happens to sit as a pseudo between that and that of a support commander. He has in between health of those 2, and has the in between tankiness of those 2. However, it's kindu because of this that he struggles really hard to make himself impactful throughout many games. He needs investment. No.. He needs a lot of investment, and really because of that, I can only compare him really to that of a support/Commander. A support commander gets off with a slow start, but as the tier goes on and they get those upgrades, they become amazing. they don't usually have the capabilities to really handle beginning engagements and really rely on their starting units and the fact their opponent does not have upgrades as of yet to get them through the earlier engagements. Really they play defensively. However usually their is an initiation unit that exist for those commanders to help them with that later on down the line. For the Apo that would be ASM, for the Farseer that is usually Eldar Rangers> shees. For the plague champ that is usually raptors unless you take up the decision to play in a bunkered mannerism.
For many tank commanders; they are the initiator. For say the brother captain, the hive tyrant, the chaos lord, the lictor alpha, hell I'd even say the Lord general is a damn tank in the beginning because of how he can reinforce his retinue gaining back health. And they do so well, whether it is because of their starting ability/s or their health pull and resistance to being suppressed. The force commander. doesn't really have either. Now, don't get me wrong Battle Cry is a good ability. But you can't just run up activate Battle Cry in the first engagement and hope that will put the engagement in your favor. He/she will just kited as he specials with a little micro , shot up, and forced off.
Imo, the correct way is to play defensively, accept the probability you will lose that first engagement, but play to do so respectfully. That means you want to play defensively in the beginning. Back off when you see your opponent has the advantage in regards to unit composition A.T.C.M.I.T and just kite them back. Pouncing when they over extend and you see an opportunity, Target prioritizing, and knowing when to make a stand are very important in the beginning. The whole purpose is to get your units out, and begin to get upgrades on your commander. In addition. Take note of the situation. Don't be agraid to pull out the stormshield and chainsword. So many FC players seem to neglect that wargear. when utilizing that in heavy cover could really buy you some time/ put you in a winning ranged trade off. Don't just buy you invuln shield and think your gonna go to town on your opponent. Wait for the opportunity when your opponent pushes too far forward and punish them for over extending. And really that is why I'd say that the go to unit for the force commander would be the scout squad> devs. punish units that over extend. shotgun> nade throw is ur best friend. You want to be rapid assault counter-initiation. Poke with your Tacs putting them behind cover, bring the devs up behind them. Be ready with shotgun scouts for a unit that would try to put pressure on them, (I personally would take up the stormsheild, rather than getting an invuln shield unless I saw an opportune moment to use it.) which will pretty much neglect the damage they are taking. Suppress your opponents units and jump into the fray by pressuring your opponent with nade throws. and tieing up units with your force commander. In the case you can't use devs. 2x scouts or tacs and ASm would work well also. though 2x tacs ASM , imo is at its best when being utilizied by the apo. and the 2x scout tacs devs is best used when utilizing the techmarine. The Force commander really is the commander that likes to utilize the 1 1 1 build. The devs help the force commander solidify a position. the scouts back them up. the tacs are nice ranged support, finally the force commander alongside ASM can put some pretty strong pressure on your opponent, to which utilizing that under utilized global "For the Emperor" on the ASM, should hopefully help in some situation where you wouldn't be getting that heal like you would from the apo, so instead you compensate with more damage to help you stay in the engagement a little longer/ hopefully get that wipe.
Well, that's just my suggestion as I see a lot of force commander players, just immediately run off into the fray in the beginning engagement hoping to force something off. Put that ranged stance to work people
tis getting a buff next patch I believe it said in the patch notes.
