Actually, if you wanted the most staying power possible with a universal Manip, it would actually set you back 33 tokens, the Avatar is ~11% less expensive than the best possible manip.
Nah, a universal manip costs (cost) 20 tokens, and an Avatar cost 30 tokens. Of course, that was before the new paradigm shift regarding the manips/amps, so I'm talking here about old-style universal manipulators (or universal amps, if you wish).
(Currently, the ability to swap brains (which RC demonstrated to be extremely useful) and not fry your own is what costs you that extra 13 tokens against amps. Which can be argued as more or less justified cost, but that does not relate to Avatar cost in any way - especially if we regard them historically, as in noting the original balance of prices. Which, as I mentioned, is apparently shifting, to the dismay of the few fools still clinging to the old ways for the sake of it (e.g. me).
)
Miya fought the Amp specialist, although Jim dealt the killing blow. He also was shot at by a LESHO. And once, he did a VR simulation of him vs. original, true Altered. I may have forgot other events. Every time he pretty much won...
That is propaganda! General Miyamoto never really participated in any of those fights! Be a patriot, cast down ARM today!
Also, maybe he's *gasp* a little bit competent? Like, tactically skilled and open-minded? I concur with Paris (a true patriot indeed!), that all to often Miya' Avatar shrugs off damage that a battlesuit would shrug off just as well (give or take a layer of battleplate). In your example, I'd probably guess that a LESHO (except it was fake LESHO, IIRC, right?) round fits this too.
Not sure about other examples, though.