Just had a HQ mission that was epic. Playing legend / ironman. The mission was swarming, 43 enemies total, my first region to liberate in a strength 6 region, having struggled to finish a liberation I feel forced to take it on... I go in with all my 3 snipers, 1 psi, 1 tech, 1 shinobi, 1 specialist, 1 assault. It’s my A team, geared with nothing but the best gear (my limited funds) could afford.

As I enter I feel fortunate, the map god placed a sniper tower just next to me, I set up and spend some time scouting the map before I open fire. My snipers smacks some mechs, muttons and drones with no issue, the first 12 kills goes as smooth as I could wish for. The rainbow pod activates at the nearest house corner, pinning my shinobi towards the map edge. They are close so I focus my snipers on the shieldbearer and rocketeer. Things feels pretty alright, if a bit dicey, they grace my front line. Six left but their only target is my hunkered down tech. I feel quite alright about ending my turn. I’m flanked! 4 mutons and a berserker walks in on my flank, I’m now in combat with 11 enemies attacking me from two different angles. Reaction shots fly in on my flanked psi op, leaving him with one hp left. I look at the disaster in front of me, is this the end to my campaign? Is this where xcom falls?

I realize that I don’t have enough front line to hold both flanks, my specialist is out of position which leaves assault, psi op and technical to keep the enemy at bay. The technical and assault looks at one another “looks like there are enough for the both of us!” rainbow pod for the assault, 4 muttons and berserker for the technical. Snipers turns the berserker to mince meat. The technical has learnt run and gun (god send) and runs over to flambé the mutton, sets all but one on fire and psi op pitches in with insanity on the last one, scoring a lucky mind control! Sweet! Flank saved! The assault looks at his comrades, he’s the only one with moves left, in front of him is the rainbow pod, behind him the (unarmored) exposed snipers in low cover, he’s a close combat specialist, one against 6, one could have worse odds he tells himself, popping run and gun. Ready to take one for the team he dashes forward with a mind merge from the psi op, figuring flanking all of them is a good way to keep them occupied, he’s a close quarter specialist and knows getting close and personal is his only choice, he reloads and guns down the stun lancer, sending a quiet prayer to the bleedout pcs he was given in his youth as he pass the turn to the aliens, as they move into cover around him his gun is on fire, he empties all his rounds into the enemies around him like a tornado, it’s not enough, they aren’t dying! Guns fire at him from all directions, he closes his eyes as shot after shot slams into him, once the gunfire calms down he finds himself still alive, got to buy that psi op a beer he tells himself, the red fog makes it impossible to think or move, but all the aliens he hates are right here, his gun is blazing once more, the specialist sends him mental aid so he can shoot again and a third alien falls, just as he’s done the snipers take out the remaining 3 that he had already softened up with his reaction shots. He finds himself in the middle of a bloodbath, and as the poison in his veins brings him down unconscious the last thing he hears is his friends flamethrower in the distance.

As he woke he was back on the avenger with the whole team celebrating their useful salvage!