The Rift Walkers is a basic, straightforward squad who works well as an introduction, but have a surprisingly weak mid-game and their upgrades require a lot of Reactors.
The squad lacks mobility, so spending Power on +1 Move or Dash or equipping mobility-oriented pilots for the Combat and Cannon Mech helps.
The squad's weaponry are basic, so they can swap out weapons more freely than other squads that are more synergy-dependent.