head to head
vs
Wasteland 2vsXCOM: Chimera Squad
Wasteland 2 leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); XCOM: Chimera Squad leans Optimization (Systems & Chaos).
Wasteland 2XCOM: Chimera Squad
Axis by axis
Execution2 vs 2
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads1 vs 1
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance5 vs 6
XCOM: Chimera Squad leans harder on variance: Hit rolls and interleaved turn order create meaningful uncertainty
Optimization8 vs 8
Even - both lean on optimization about the same.
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.