Genuinely thought only 2 had died (no evidence of the other 2 dying) but still great numbers

I was trying to rescue the resistance pinned down in a diner. Advent came in on all sides, and the chosen hunter was there. I had 8 deaths, 2 captured, 5 wounded. It was my a-team, and not only did I lose my best men but I lost my best equipment. Even greensweater was like "Abandon the mission, get your men out of there!"

Sigh. I had the future of humanity in my hands, and I fumbled it. That's xcom, baby.

Just when i thought i might finally get to finish a Legendary Ironman playthrough, here comes the Assassin and what do you know, she has the all-seeing trait. So the traditional tactics of using a Reaper to reveal her no longer work.

First encounter with her cost me my Ranger. Second my Grenadier.

Any advice on how to deal with her without somebody getting murdered every time?

During the fight I honestly thought it was over, but kept fighting to the end. Somehow I still managed to win. Lost my second best spark though, it served me well

A question for the players who’ve been playing for a while now, what is the agreed upon way that players should typically start their next runs after their first play through?

Early settings, should you include QOL mods, is it cheating to start with a faction unit? Etc.