9 replies to this topic

[Yiryi-Sa]

I've decided to start playing as Inner Sphere in CW. I've assembled half my drop deck with mediums (a CN9-D and two SHD) that are brawlers. I enjoy mediums that use a ballistic, and an assortment of SRMs and lasers (or in the case of one of my SHDs, it's lasers and SRMs).

What sort of Inner Sphere heavies or assaults can best compliment a mixed weapon brawling playstyle?

P.S.: I'm willing to post specifics on my builds to help guide any suggestions.

[Moebius Pi]

If you're dead set on mixed (or mixed capability) IS, I can toss a quick few general ideas to get you started while I have a moment. Hopefully it will get the ball rolling for ya.

For heavies, Warhammers can pull it off while giving you some full energy options and (if you really wanted to) an SRM option with a very desirable hero also capable. They'd be my top choice; they're a very good mech with some nice build variety possible to keep you from getting laser vomit burnout.

Marauders as a secondary choice for similar abilities though less optimally Jaegermechs have a strong ballistic option, though rather vulnerable hit boxes for it, though were a popular choice on hot maps, and potentially worth considering for it (nice high mounts regardless). I can't really speak on the Catapults; some folks love em, especially post remodel, but they've always seemed too easily shot to **** with their hitboxes, or otherwise neutered to me. Still, they can do mixed energy + srm builds, so someone that's used them more can chime in on whether you'd want to try em in CW.

Assaults that fit that bill, Atlas and Maulers, both which see some use for various front loaded deck strategies, if weighty. Stalkers can go full energy or energy + ballistic or SRM with their variants; generally tanky and good mounts to boot without being tonnage eaters like an Atlas, so you might see some traction their.

Though I consider the Battlemaster a top Assault IS pick (if bringing an assault at all in a deck), their SRM builds generally suffer really bad convergence issues; best kept all energy right now. Banshees can also The Zeus, though not popular can do punchy SRM builds with some variants, or energy + ballistic to varying degrees.pull off the nasty energy boat, or energy + ballistic option in some instances, but they are tonnage eaters much like the Atlas.

[Bud Crue]

See:

https://mwomercs.com...ck-composition/

Good ideas for a variety of IS decks from people who play a lot of CW.

[Steel Raven]

Recommended IS Heavies:

The Thunderbolt has been my Go To brawler for years. It gets decent speed with the 300 STD and tanks like a assault. I don't play CW often but when I do, I always bring a Thud.

The Warhammer is the current favorite, I use STD engines for mine though many prefer the weight saving XL for more DPS.

The Marauder is IMO the best 75 ton IS mech currently, my apologies to the Black Knight. While it may be more of a skirmisher than Brawler do to it's long profile, It can carry face-wrecking firepower without sacrificing durability. All of my Mads carry STD 300s to zombie, they run slower than any of my other heavies but carry more firepower than my Thuds and run cooler than my Wammies. If you like ballistics, you will love he 3R.

Honorable mention:

The Catapult. I picked up a Cat during the heavy sale, loaded it with SRMs and been running around like a mad bomber ever since! It can be a pretty little hate machine once you find a build you like (tried LRMs... last time I will ever try LRMs)

Not to be forgotten:

Cataphract, the once king of IS daka (wait, the Warhammer has higher ballistic mounts for ACs but the Cataphract has high energy mounts for PPCs? How...when.. oh, thats right, PGI) you still get JJs and one variant with ECM, not to be ignored.

Recommended IS Assaults:

Battlemaster was one of the winners in the rescale, moves like a heavy and plenty of options for weapons. Most are Pulse Boats but some have turned the 1S into a SRM "I hate you" wagon and often give the 1D some stupid daka-daka

Stalker: Not a brawler, never was and never will be but it's fun as hell. The 5M is also know as "SRMs For Every One!!"

Haven't tried it but...

Atlas, slow, stiff but if you ever fought one... say no more. It's the Anvil to the Kodiak's Hammer.

Not awful but far from meta:

The Victor and Awesome move like heavies and have their fans who know how to use them but they don't out preform many heavies for their size nor take the beating like their big brothers. I tried both the Awesome and the Battlemaster when we had them on trail after the rescale, the Awesome improved allot, holds it's own but the Battlemaster was the most impressive. Tried the trail Victor once, it's like a big Centurion... as in big target once you start smacking people around with that AC/20. Raks Armory just posted a new video if you want to see someone use it right.

Edited by Steel Raven, 25 December 2016 - 04:10 PM.

[NRP]

If you like ballistics boating Assaults, try the Maulers or the Sleipnir.

[Yiryi-Sa]

I've tried the suggestion of a Warhammer. I couldn't like it; the 7S looked really attractive since it seems to be a bigger brother of the SHD-2K. The result is I didn't have fun. I felt tanky in a push, but not in a brawl. I tried the trial Grasshopper 5H variant and liked it more. It isn't perfect, though.

I'm pondering the suggestion of the Cataphract. Although it doesn't have viable SRM options, it has ballistics. Anyone willing to share their experiences with Cataphracts?

[Leone]

The Ilya Muromets is one of my favourite mechs, but as a hero, does cost MC. Let's see, I had a blast playing the OXP as a poor mans Marauder with ECM until the unseen came out. (Speaking of which, I do love the marauder as well.) I've also a 4X running four AC 5. Brawlling at 600 paces!

So yeah, I've rather enjoyed em. I think my favourite mech in all those suggested would be the battlemaster. I've a dual ac5 six medium lasers BLR-1G leading my 3025 legal CW lance.

~Leone

Edited by Leone, 31 December 2016 - 10:10 AM.

[Steel Raven]

Yiryi-Sa, on 31 December 2016 - 08:14 AM, said:

I've tried the suggestion of a Warhammer. I couldn't like it; the 7S looked really attractive since it seems to be a bigger brother of the SHD-2K. The result is I didn't have fun. I felt tanky in a push, but not in a brawl. I tried the trial Grasshopper 5H variant and liked it more. It isn't perfect, though.

The Warhammer does have a learning curve, my 7S went from SRM boat (the Catapult did that better) to a Large Laser boat (did well with that) to a LPL boat (did it better than the 6R) I do get a better kill count with the 6R and 6D so it may just be something subtle about the 7S that's makes it difficult to master.

[no one]

Yiryi-Sa, on 31 December 2016 - 08:14 AM, said:

I'm pondering the suggestion of the Cataphract. Although it doesn't have viable SRM options, it has ballistics. Anyone willing to share their experiences with Cataphracts?

Cataphract suffers from it's knuckle dragging hardpoint locations. Do not recommend.

If you like the Shadowhawk for the nice shoulder mounted ballistics you're probably looking at Marauders for your choice heavy. That's what they do well. Only the first two ballistics are positioned well though, the third is two low. It sits right in front of your cockpit so the muzzle flash blinds you. Do recommend.

Battlemasters are also good laservomit whack-a-warriors but the torso-twist limit is pretty punishing if you ever want to brawl in one. The twist limit is a holdover from times of yore when the b.master had 'a lot of weapon hardpoints' so 'balance' happened to it. I'm ambivalent.

Jumpjets are utterly useless on assaults because PGI balance happened again, and that killed Victors for a lot of people. It's hardpoint poor, but if you like having two uAC/5s on one arm and solid range of motion. . . the Vic's not bad, but it's on the overweight side. It has holdover tube limited missile hardpoints. I'm ambivalent.

The Zeus is trash. Do not recommend.

Maulers are big targets and bad brawlers but tote a solid wall of dakka. I'm ambivalent.

Thuds are solid. They have a nice shoulder mounted hardpoint for PPC sniping and can mix ranges more effectively than most IS 'Mechs, but are a bit of a wide load. Mixes all weapon types. They're just a tad over the sweet spot for mobility with a 300 rated engine. Do recommend.

Rifleman - squishy and boring. Do not recommend.

Jaggermech - A better rifleman. Solid choice and great jack of trades. Mixes all weapon types. Do recommend.

Atlas - A giant target. Only the ECM version is really worth having and honestly 100 toners are too slow or spend too much on engines. Hardpoint poor. Do not recommend.

King Crab - #100tonnerproblems, but it has twin arm ballistics, and good range of twist. Do not recommend.

Have not tried or played:

Cyclops - looks like a nice SRM murdersplatmaster or ballistic platform. Kinda slow to brawl though.

Catapult - Why is the best version the hero? The best version is the hero. Runs as a tiny fast SRM brawler or LRM hose.

Awesome - except not really.

Banshee - like an awesome but uses dakka. So better.

End note: One of the major limitations of IS assaults is that they can't fit in enough heat-sinks to use the extra tonnage for firepower. That's why heavier IS assaults lean toward pure dakka builds. You just aren't going to have the mobility to move around so you need that sustained damage output. Past the 300 engine weight efficiency sweet spot you're basically paying a couple extra tons to add more engine heatsink space.

Edited by no one, 31 December 2016 - 08:58 PM.

[BoldricKent]

Damm, clanners got all the intel...

Ability to brawl depends very much on mech maneuverability, which is tied up with tonnage and engine size,
the other aspect are weapon mounts, while torso mounted weapons give durability you get limited by twist torso,
so arm weapons will come handy on large mechs.

So for Assults on IS :
-Atlas is good for damage convergence, avoid fighting lighter then heavy.
-King Crab, apart from special versions (0000; srm + laser vomit build), far to wide, far to big ct to be brawling.
-Banshee, due to high engine cap and hit boxes, it can brawl, lack of missile points its concern as mostly torso
mounted weapons, but it can do laser vomit, ballistic quite nice, rolls damage well- its one of XL assaults.
-Mauler, low engine cap, very got ballistic and missile platform, but again torso mounted, much more of a
line holder type of mech, can do 4x10lbx...
-Cyclops, will go up to 400 engine, quite good selection of weapon points, can mimic Atlas, but it hit boxes
arent that good, with decent engine (+325std) can brawl and roll, you ll fall short on tonnage if you want to use
ac20, but 4xsrms and lbx10 isnt a bad combo. Armor prevents it to be first in push.
-Highlander, suffers from low engine cap, JJ and low amount of weapon hardpoints, which will limit your options,
its more inline with Mauler. Major difference has missiles/ballistic in arms.
-Battlemaster, 2c, is considered best of the IS assault, structure quirks give it Atlas endurance, while mostly
energy boat, LPL can work well in brawl. Torso twist is a limit, but agility, engine cap and ability to use XL, makes
it one of better choices.
-Victor, with recent armor quirks can use XL again, its hit boxes arent best, nor are JJ, but with high rated engine
it can match agility of heavies. Hardpoints are an issue, but having ac20 in arm it always a bonus. It can brawl
well, but dont lead charge without friends.
-Zeus, after resizing it fell down, still it has a powerfist (3 missile hardpoints in right arm) which is offset with fact
that most of his weapons are in left side (takes some to get used on that), before you could used XL and got really fast and
brawl mech, now you have to use standard, go with +325, use powerfist and torso mounted lasers and you can wreck things,
shield with left arm (its big enough).
-Awsome, hit boxes, low engine cap, being only missile, energy mech its not a good start for brawling, i saw few
using srm,LPL/MPL build, but i cant recommended as such.