Sectopod hitpoints messed up?

[7Saturn]

I can't tell you the threshold for the skill value, but you definitely can MC Sectopod.

[ohartenstein23]

Read up here on the psionics formulas from the original game.  The sectopod has an effective psi defense of 138 vs. mind control attacks (108 psi strength, 0 skill, 30 for the difficulty of mind control), while your psi guy has a maximum psi attack value of 145 (100*45/50 - 0 for distance + 55 max RNG roll).  So at best you have a 12% chance of success when right next to the sectopod.

[7Saturn]

That's why I begin to filter my guys the moment I can see their psi strength. Below strength 60 is simply not worth the effort. So I fire all of those below 60 and hire new ones, until I have a team of only soldiers with psi strength 60+. The skill will grow anyways, as long as they are in psi training or being used for psi (even non successful attacks contribute to an increase of psi skill). But the strength is pretty much a show stopper, if too low.