I've found Suzuran S2 seems inordinately strong on the perma map. Of course, as support unit, Texalter and Mlynar both seem really good (even if you ignore the fact that there's a R18 Texalter solo strategy).
It took me a depressingly high number of risk 8 failures to realize/remember that the War Phantoms summon a Scrap, and that was why my front line was getting wrecked. That's what I get for not reading enemy info closely.