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Captain Cutter
Captain Cutter is a UNSC leader that reinforces from the leader wheel instead of the barracks. A tier in our 2026 ranking, and rated pick up and play.
Win rate
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ranked 1v1, last 30 days
Pick rate
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of 16 leaders
Avg matchNew query
—
needs a duration rollup
Ultimate byNew query
—
median unlock time
Strengths
- Every drop is worth taking — ODST Drop stuns on landing, Cyclops Drop arrives at Vet 2, and the ODST Assault Group lands two ODST squads, a Scorpion, a Wolverine and two Cyclops — all veteran.
- Stuns decide engagements — the drops stun on impact, so you pick the fight, land it, and win the trade before the opponent has moved.
- The only free ultimate — Close Air Support costs 1,500 supplies and no power at all, which is close to unique among ultimates.
- Owns the map by four minutes — UNSC Raid speeds up capture and infantry, and Raid 2 lets Jackrabbits cap nodes too — you can hold nearly every node by 3-4 minutes.
Weaknesses
- Falls off hard after twenty minutes — other leaders have stronger nukes and drops late, so you are trying to close the game out before their power spike lands.
- Entirely predictable — the infantry gameplan is the same every match, and opponents prepare for it.
- Battle Hardened is dead weight — the weakest slot on his wheel, which effectively costs him a leader point of flexibility.
- The ultimate has hard counters — Close Air Support gets shredded by Combat Tech Marines, ODSTs and Wolverines, so it is unusable into the wrong composition.
Leader powers
17 powers on the wheel, grouped by the leader point that unlocks them.
1st point4 powers
Battle Hardened I
PassiveUnits earn veterancy faster from kills and demolitions.
CutterBattleHardened1
Battle Hardened II
PassiveDoubles the veterancy bonus from Battle Hardened I.
CutterBattleHardened2
UNSC Raid I
PassiveSpeeds up infantry and node captures with a modest boost to movement and capture/decapture rate.
UnscRaidTech1
UNSC Raid II
PassiveA bigger version of the same capture and movement speed boost.
UnscRaidTech2
2nd point4 powers
Lotus Mines I
ActiveLays three mines in a line, armed about a second and a half after they land.
Cooldown 105 seconds75 supply75 power
UnscLotusMines1
Restoration Drones I
ActiveAn area heal that patches up everything caught inside it, units and buildings alike.
Cooldown 160 seconds200 supply50 power
UnscMedDrones1
Restoration Drones II
ActiveWidens the heal radius and speeds up the healing rate.
Cooldown 160 seconds350 supply125 power
UnscMedDrones2
Restoration Drones III
ActiveThe biggest, fastest version of the area heal.
Cooldown 160 seconds400 supply150 power
UnscMedDrones3
3rd point4 powers
Archer Missiles I
ActiveA staggered bombing run that strafes a line, damaging anything caught underneath.
Cooldown 200 seconds300 supply200 power
UnscBombingRun1
Archer Missiles II
ActiveA wider, harder-hitting version of the same bombing run.
Cooldown 200 seconds400 supply300 power
UnscBombingRun2
Archer Missiles III
ActiveThe strongest version yet, and it sets the drop zone alight.
Cooldown 200 seconds500 supply400 power
UnscBombingRun3
ODST Drop
ActiveDrops three ODST squads that stun whatever they land on.
Cooldown 180 seconds800 supply0 power
UnscOdstDrop
4th point3 powers
Cyclops Drop
ActiveCalls in a veteran Cyclops that stuns the drop zone.
Cooldown 135 seconds145 supply180 power
UnscCyclopsDrop
Turret Drop I
ActivePlants a temporary defensive turret wherever you point, stunning whatever it lands on.
Cooldown 170 seconds400 supply25 power
UnscTurretDrop1
Turret Drop II
ActiveA sturdier version of the same turret drop.
Cooldown 170 seconds550 supply50 power
UnscTurretDrop2
5th point1 power
ODST Assault Group
ActiveA full strike package — ODSTs, a Scorpion, a Wolverine, and a Cyclops — all stunning on arrival.
Cooldown 360 seconds1650 supply625 power
UnscOrbitalBattleGroup
Ultimate1 power
Close Air Support
ActiveCutter's ultimate — four Pelican gunships strafe a chosen area for 40 seconds.
Cooldown 360 seconds1500 supply0 power
UnscPelicanGunship
Cast frequency — how often players actually pick each power — needs the meta-stats powers query, which is the one tab with no Supabase rollup behind it. Left off deliberately so a leader page costs no D1 reads.
Unique units
ODST
Trainable infantry core — drop powers reinforce the same line
Standard opener
Needs writing0:00Build step to write
1:30Build step to write
3:00Build step to write
5:30Build step to write
The How to play as Captain Cutter post has a full build order to draft this from.