Yeonne Greene, on 06 May 2017 - 09:37 PM, said:
Have you actually tried the RFL? Or are you just gauging based on the bads who fail at using it? Most of them are piloted excruciatingly badly. Like Blackjacks, most people simply don't understand how they work and they are usually easy kills regardless of how they were built. Also, incidentally, like Dragons.
For other combos, there are no other IS Heavies that can do PPCs in the sides with a Gauss in a similarly high-mounted arm. That is the golden combination the IS need to be competitive, and it's the only Heavy that has it. Incidentally, it can run that at Clan speeds, coldly, and with superlative agility that you'd need to equip MASC to exceed on anything else save maybe a Linebacker. It has to expose very little of itself to fire 100% of its weapons over a ridge around a corner. You can also adapt it for 5x MPL and an AC/20 for boom-and-zoom up close, if that's more your style.
The Gauss plus 2 PPC build was the only thing I saw as decent on the thing when wondering if I should buy it awhile ago, but you were talking about close in builds, so we'll disregard it right now. As for 5 MPL and an AC20, please explain how I can bring a STD engine, go over 70 kph, and have ammo for the AC20 and heatsinks to keep firing.
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...fdab37bff8e682a Here is the possible build, nice 2.5 tons of ammo and 27% cooling.
Yeonne Greene, on 06 May 2017 - 09:37 PM, said:
The RFL-3N in that configuration can vaporize an enemy in 3 seconds while the Dragon cannot. I'm talking you've just ripped out 90-150 damage in this time period. That's why you take it. Poking targets to death once they are inside the base doesn't work in CW, not if the enemy knows what he's doing. At that point, you need to be able to sit targets down fast and...33 points from the Dragon having to repeat three times is not it, even with the cool-down. In my experience, on a map like Emerald? Go big or go home with the up-front damage output. SRMs actually rule the roost there, so I'd say forget either and modify your deck to accommodate the CPLT-A1, ARC-5W, WHM-7S, etc.
SRM brawlers always tend to be good, but I prefer the precision and extra range of the LPL builds so I can get a few shots in before they'd be in SRM range, Dragon-C with the cooldown quirks and duration fires as if those LPL were SPL, very good DPS while still maintaining range enough to out trade C-ERML builds.
Yeonne Greene, on 06 May 2017 - 09:37 PM, said:
Dead-siding only works against bads and I don't build my 'Mechs banking on the enemy being bad.
I could just say that nobody worth is salt is going to let you spread damage all over your mech in an XL build with obvious side torsos. We could both just say that spreading damage around never works against competent opponents while we're at it.
Against competent opponents deadsiding, at the very least, makes the enemy hold fire to hit your CT again, giving you time to cool off in the process and if they aren't using PPFLD there's about a 100% chance their damage is going to be sent through the deadside from a quick torso twist.
Besides this, how often do you even see competent opponents in FP? Its a little rare.
Yeonne Greene, on 06 May 2017 - 09:37 PM, said:
The Marauder has mostly low mounts except for the 3R bringing 3 ballistics. I'm honestly doubting bringing 3 AC5s and being slow will be the meta. Alternatively it can do gauss and PPC but suffers from the low mounts again. Though the main problem is that its a 75 tonner and the Dragon is a 60 tonner.
Take a moment and forget about what is and isn't meta in quickplay or even in comp and take a look at drop decks. Dragon Deck gives you the BM-2C along with 3 Dragon-1Cs, this means that you never bring in a medium or a light, this means you crush any SSRM waves they can throw at you, this means you crush any light waves with your 0.56~ second beam duration, this means you have 3 mechs with the defense of 75 tonners backing up an 85 tonner with structure of a 100 tonner, this means in attrition warfare such as you see in FP your ability to keep taking hits and block the enemy way matters, this means any of your mechs is able to out trade mid range Clan mechs before they get into ERML range and then once they are in full range you have durations at half of theirs so you can hit for your full burn then spread half their damage to win a trade.
With Marauder 3 of them takes 225 tons, leaving you with 40 tons as final drop. Marauders aren't even worth it in the first place, bring low mounts, or are stuck at brawler ranges, or back a couple ballistics, and you end up with a Cicada in the end so you can get annihilated the moment you step too close to an enemy Mad Dog.
My point is that the Dragon fits the Goldilocks zone for IS drop deck tonnage and lets you bring one of the IS's best assault mechs with it too while also being tankier than enemy mechs that are 15 tons higher. Its cost to performance ratios are insane in that regard. Why bring a 75 tonner with 75 tonner armor and damage when you could have a 60 tonner with 75 tonner armor and 70 tonner damage?





























