Trissila, on 13 November 2017 - 05:55 AM, said:
Bushwackers are objectively better than Huntsmen/Hunchbacks at splat-dueling. They can carry the same payload with very similar layout as Pakhets (high and narrow on the STs), with the same speed, except that they have the armor of a 75-ton 'mech and their SRMs do more damage. They can also protect their legs better, as they have a lower profile and a nose-down BSW in your face is effectively shielding his legs with his torso.
They're beatable, but only if you significantly outplay them. Notably, the lack of jumpjets can screw them pretty hard if they're foolish enough to engage you in terrain where you can use them to poptart and protect your legs with hard cover. But in a straight-up facerush, which is what Scouting devolves into most of the time, they have a clear advantage.
Edit: "Same Payload" being 4xASRM-6. Clans can theoretically mount more launchers due to space/weight savings, but bringing any more than 4 and actually trying to use them makes you severely heat-limited. 4 is hot enough as it is on Caustic and Terra Therma.
Huntsman, 4xSRM6A, 2 MPL, 2 HSML.
A critical piece of Clan scouting strategy is the Bump N' Jump. So you laser his legs at range. This gives you a 14 damage lead before the first SRM is fired. You approach in a curve; never, ever directly in/out. Then as soon as one of your team gets focused, the person being focused (Nova or Huntsman it's the same) jumps up out of fire. Because all these good IS brawlers are torso mounted weapons they almost immediately lose the ability to track you. They now either have to just run around, waiting for you to land while your teammates shoot them or.... switch targets.
This allows a Clan team to control who is and is not being focus fired and better keep sustained fire on a single target, burning them down more quickly.
Also, range. HBK IIC on most maps (frozen city, boreal, most of crimson, as examples) run 2 HLL, 2 CERML with 1 HBK IIC and the other 3 brawlers. The ability to drop 2 or 3 50pt hits on them before the fight starts gives you a 100-150 pt damage lead, which is absolutely decisive. Even if you just pick a ST off a Griffin or Bushie, you've halved his firepower before he's fired a shot. Legging for the bonus option.
Clans absolutely can win consistently in scouting, you just need to communicate. The real advantage IS has is there's still some IS teams that drop 4mans in scouting and most Clan scouting groups are pugs.