Without any further ado, let's jump right in! Cato himself is a 2ATT, 6HP Warlord with 7 starting resources and 7 starting cards. That is nothing to get excited about, and he's a bit brittle as Space Marines go, but we'll let it slide since his ability is fantastic. "Reaction: After an enemy unit at this planet is destroyed, gain 1 resource".
That reaction is great! It's never situational. You always need resources in this game, but Space Marines need plenty of cash to pay for their combat tricks, like Eager Recruit, Drop Pod Assault, Indomitable, and more - including his signature event card which we're about to get to! Early in a game Cato is great at sniping command units - deny them their Rogue Trader, win that planet, then kill that Rogue Trader for one more resource. Very nice!Marines have so many combat tricks that can happen in the middle of a battle with resources just earned from killing enemy units.
Sicarius's Chosen are Cato's "4 of" signature unit included in his signature cards. With a cost of 3, they fit in a Drop Pod which is a bonus for any Space Marine unit. A 2/3 with 1 command icon isn't a great deal for a 3 cost, but their reaction is fantastic. "Reaction: After this unit enters play, move a target enemy army unit at an adjacent planet to this planet and deal it 1 damage." Think about the implications of that! It's huge! Has your opponent sent his big nasty Blood Letter to the planet you need to capture to win the game? Send your Chosen to deal with the problem at the next planet, and you'll never have to worry about it! Getting swarmed by Rogue Traders and Void Pirates? Go win a planet, and snipe one! Fantastic ability. For maximum fun, get them into play with Veteran Brother Maxos when he's at planet 2 to pull a unit off of planet 1. Disclaimer: This is very hard to pull off, but when it happens you will feel like a god... Or at least a lesser Daemon.
The Fury of Sicarius is Cato's signature event. While it's a tad pricey, it's effect is undeniably powerful. This card, just like the Chosen, make Cato able to deal with even the worst enemies. What else is there to say about this card? In practice it's difficult to telegraph since Cato almost always has extra resources anyway. At worst, it will make your opponents over-shield their units, and at best you kill very powerful units with an Eager Recruit. Win/win!
Cato's signature support card is equally wonderful. Cato's Stronghold reads "Reaction: After an enemy unit is destroyed, exhaust this support to ready a target Space Marine unit at the same planet." That's so good! It's such a shame that it's only a "1 of" in your deck, because that is literally the only problem with it. Getting 2 attacks out of an Honored Librarian is fantastic, as is getting two swings with a Daring Assault Squad. That's a clear planet! Alternatively, you can ready a beefy unit that came with Cato to a pivotal planet.
Finally, we come to the Tallassarian Tempest Blade, Cato's signature attachment. I have to say, this is easily one of the best signature attachments in the game. This card is a strong driving force for why Tau are the favored ally for Cato - to utilize Earth Caste Technician to dig for it (not to mention Promotion and Iron Halo). For 1 cost, this takes Cato from great to ridiculous. There's not much else to say about that!
Have you played (or faced) Cato? What's your favorite deck build? Sound off in the comments or on the forum by clicking below!
