This simple unit best highlights the power of the unit design feature. Most players think of garrison units as slow, heavily armored vehicles that you place on hold in a base for most of the game. However, using the Design Workshop, you can put that same armor on a fast unit for only a slightly higher mineral cost. Keep this unit in a centrally located base and move it quickly to outlying areas in case of trouble. Rather than supporting multiple units in each base, you can keep a few reserves of Skirmishers, reducing the amount of resources you commit to defense. The comm jammer special helps defend against attacks from fast-moving tanks.

Maximum strength in all categories.

Maxed out in all categories, the drop singularity tank is loaded for bear. These guys are expensive, even with a level 4 singularity reactor, so use them sparingly. But when you need to punch a hole in a well-defended base garrison, nothing works as well. The drop pod special allows orbital insertions anywhere on Planet, letting you strike an enemy where he appears most vulnerable. The nerve gas pod special lets you choose to attack at A36, although your fellow faction leaders may stigmatize you for the civilian deaths.

Here's an effective (and cheap!) way to deal with mind worm problems early in the game.

Even veteran players sometimes forget that against mind worms and other native lifeforms, only the morale\lifecycle status of the combatants affects the outcome. A green12\4\3 juggernaught fares worse than a commando scout rover - and the scout rover costs much less. So, if you're exploring around a new landing site or dealing with mind worm boils later in the game, this simple 1\1\2 unit can get the job done much more effectively than conventional heavy weapons.

One minute, you're just a placid, constructive Morgan minding his own business… The next, you're the world's largest lagoon.

When you care enough to send the very best, use a planet buster. The damage done by these crater-causing monsters depends on the reactor level, so try to put the best type possible on board. The most powerful type, a singularity buster, can rip a hole in Planet's surface that covers several tiles. Any bases or units within the blast radius cease to be your problem. Remember that planet busters cause significant ecological disruption, so prepare for the inevitable explosion of fungus and mind worms if you choose to use this potent weapon.

The last word in mind worm eradication.

This handy, versatile, and technologically advanced chopper is the ultimate tool against native units, whether they are part of a Gaian mind worm rush or an errant Planet-controlled Isle of the Deep. 'Copters deal with land or ocean threats and can stay aloft as long as their damage remains above 10 percent. Use their long range to scout for invasion armadas when not needed elsewhere, and you'll have a potent weapon for little cost.