Nova? Bad? In what context?
Compared to the Crow? Yeah, it falls kinda stumpy.
Compared to the Fridge? Hell no, it's beats that Walking Beer Keeper all day.
Compared to the IS 50 tonners? I dunno, let's take a look-see at a few...
HBK-4P:
-50 matches since clams
-2.92 KDR
-2.85 WL
-404 damage per match
-This is an outlier as most of those 50 were Jman teaching me the Art of the Hunchback
YEN-LO-WANG:
-255 matches
-2.1 KDR
-1.29 WL
-284 damage per match
-I lose that AC20 so often still, it needs armor buffs on that arm. The AC20 still gets critted out the moment the armor is breached
TBT-7M:
-75 matchs
-1.44 KDR
-1.21 WL
-265 damage per match
-this is pre quirks entirely and I no longer own it
CN9-AH:
-25 matches
-2.85 KDR
-1.78 WL
-362 damage per match
-this is one of those "not enough matches for accurate results"
TBT-5J:
-127 matches
-2.71 KDR
-1.33 WL
-271 damage per match
-I don't remember what I was doing
CN9-A,
CN9-A:
-220 matches
-1.96 KDR
-1.92 WL
-329 damager per match
-players know to just leg these ******** from the get go now
ENF-4R:
-16 matches
-2.67 KDR
-2.2 WL
-381 damage per match
-I don't normally consider mechs with this few matches, but it's got a strong showing for a mech that just hit Mastery
SCR
-205 matches
-3.23 KDR
-1.85 WL
-442 damage per match
-I own five stormcrows, so this is all of their stats combined
IFR-A:
-41 matches
-2.38 KDR
-2.05 WL
-334 damage per match
NVA-PRIME:
-116 matches
-1.72 KDR
-1.23 WL
-361 damage per match
So if my abysmal stats are an indication, the Nova is actually pretty much par for the course. It's not terrible as all the lamentations seem to indicate, but it's not an exceptional outlier like the Crow (or any 55 tonner, for that matter) either.
It's big, yes. But I doubt anything is going to happen as ain't **** happened to the Awesome STILL. So, I'd settle for some structure buffs.
It's the slowest clan medium, but it's really not any slower than my IS 50 tonners for the most part. Now, unlike the other 50 tonners, the Nova feels like it spins it's tires in the mud for about half a second before it get's going. So I generally tart with it.
Also, another reason I tart with it is due to the knuckledragger effect it has for it's propensity to turf shots like an Atlas.
So in essence, what I'd LIKE to see:
-LA/RA structure buffs in the realm of 8-12 points (puts it between Enforcer buffs at 8 and Cent buffs at 16)
-LT/RT structure buffs in the realm of 12 points (same as HBK-4SP)
-LL/RL armor buffs in the realm of 6 and structure buff in the realm of 4
-keep heat gen quirks
-add 20% accel/decel quirks
I honestly think that's really all it needs. Since it's the only medium JJ mech the clans have and it drags knuckle, it's a toaster pastry mech. That's the best way to be able to put that volume of laser onto a target while not getting ganked. It'll have competition from the Shadowcat soon in the field of JJ clan medium, but the Shadowcat won't have the volume of lasers the Nova has and I think that'll set the two apart.
People try to play the Nova like a Stormcrow and they fail at it. Hard. When they should play it like a Nova, where it's actually pretty good.