20 replies to this topic

[mistlynx4life]

There's three or four active threads where these sorts of concerns are going around in circles. Here's the Pro-Tips on how to counter the MG Lynxes (and MG boats in general, which includes, like, that one Cheetah and... are there any others?):

If you are a Light, call the target into VOIP so everyone knows what's out there, chase them, and then shoot them anywhere. Legs are helpful, arms are too. Don't engage at close-range. If you have other Lights with you, this will definitely discourage the Lynx. If someone on your team calls out they they've spotted one of these Lynxes, go protect your heavier lances and remind them to use the Buddy System until you get there. Flamers will keep the Lynx from using its laser weapons (remember jump jets can be hot) which may prolong your components being opened up.

If you are a Medium, call the target into VOIP so everyone knows what's out there, and then engage at range. Don't get close unless you have lots of streaks and armor or really good accuracy. Flamers will keep the Lynx from using its laser weapons (remember jump jets can be hot) which may prolong your components being opened up. Lights are on their way to help. If you have other Mediums with you and can't run away, distance yourselves in such a way that one of you can always be shooting the Lynx, no matter how much it dances (say, 150-200m at most). You can also stand back-to-back. If you have any doubts, run away together (in a way that keeps the slower of you from falling behind). If you are equipped and confident that you can handle an MG Lynx and hear the call over VOIP, go protect your heavier lances and remind them to use the Buddy System until you get there.

If you are a Heavy, call the target into VOIP so everyone knows what's out there, back up to a wall if you can, pop a UAV, and try to spread the damage as much as possible across all your armor. If you've got streaks or flamers, use them now - flamers will keep the Lynx from using its laser weapons which may prolong your components being opened up. If you have other Heavies with you and can't run away, distance yourselves in such a way that one of you can always be shooting the Lynx, no matter how much it dances (say, 150-200m at most). You can also stand back-to-back. If you have any doubts, run away together (in a way that keeps the slower of you from falling behind). If you've got decent armor and want to drop a strike on yourself, go for it - smoke usually scares them off. Help is on the way.

If you are an Assault, call the target into VOIP so everyone knows what's out there, back up to a wall if you can, pop a UAV, and try to spread the damage as much as possible across all your armor. If you've got streaks or flamers, use them now - flamers will keep the Lynx from using its laser weapons which may prolong your components being opened up. If you've got decent armor and want to drop a strike on yourself, go for it - smoke usually scares them off. You can also stand back-to-back. Smoke will scare them. Help is on the way.

If you are in an MLX-G, call the target into VOIP so everyone knows what's out there and enjoy the duel.

Notes: Don't waste ammo you know can't hit with - Lynxes want to deplete your ammo. Don't think you can handle this alone - you probably can't (because if you can, the Lynx will run away as soon as it sees your loadout). Don't ignore the Lynx you just saw 800m away jumping between buildings until he's ripping into your back - call the target out, spot it if possible, and specifically mention what you saw and encourage Alpha Lance to stay close. Not to pursue (unless they, too, are MG builds looking for a duel) - Lynxes are tricky like that, pulling Alpha Lance away and then gunning for the bigger targets - but to be aware and ready to support on a moment's notice. Their arms are squishy, their legs are squishy, their CT is kinda squishy too - any concentrated fire, or the potential of it, will likely scare them off. Yes, they will eventually get desperate. That's okay. They'll hurl themselves at your Charlie Lance in desperation for glory. They want your attention, so make sure you have the proper support and don't have to stop firing at the bigger Reds.

There's nothing 100% predictable about a good Lynx pilot, no matter the build. These are just guidelines to help. The best counter to the MLX-G is to discourage it until it loses patience and makes a mistake or finds itself vastly outnumbered. Being outnumbered in early/mid-game means you've been sticking together. If you find yourself alone for any reason and then die to a thousand rounds of machine gun fire coming from all directions at once, don't blame the Mist Lynx. What were you doing alone in the first place?

Boating is a thing that happens. This isn't primarily a lore-based game. If we are given the chance to build an optimal loadout and that loadout includes bringing multiples of the same weapon for the sake of ammo efficiency, it's neither illegal nor poor form to do it - and it shouldn't be treated with disdain or surprise by other players. Other factors are supposed to keep skilled players from the lesser-skilled players but that doesn't always happen. The Meta shifts (in theory) to accommodate new changes to the game and this is one of them. Pilots who've been in Lynxes for years will excel in the MLX-G, new pilots will still probably do alright. It's just the way it is. Shoot them. Shoot them and chase them away and don't give them the satisfaction of finding a lone Heavy with dual gauss and some small lasers who sacrificed armor for ammo.

The MLX-G is also a thing that happened (I suspect PGI wanted to see what MG boats did before releasing the Piranha - and those will be pretty easy to counter as well). It's neither over-powered nor Easy Mode. It dies easily and thrives on what appears to be the normal habit of a lot of its victims - poor communication and coordination with team, lone wolf behavior, and builds that have poor point defense. QuickPlay is a veritable playground for disorganization, Rubellite even moreso. Of course it's not always that... but it's that a lot of the time. Minimize the chance that it happens to you by following the above advice.


This isn't difficult. It's not an OP 'mech, it's not that MGs are suddenly OP (if eight machine guns are pouring into your open component, it's not the crits that are killing you), it's literally that boating the MGs has now become a thing that a couple 'mechs do well - and they are very easily countered. It doesn't always work but don't lose heart and give in to the Saltier Side - that's exactly what they... what we... want.

#mistlynx4life

[Lykaon]

Just to be obvious because sometimes what is obvious to some isn't for everyone.

When calling a target over VOIP there is a commonly accepted practice for doing so.

Call the target letter Alpha Beta etc... Then mech type and known loadout as well as current location and likely heading.

So a correct call would be " Alpha Myst lynx, Machine gun loadout in Hotel 6 heading Hotel 7 keep your backs covered"

Also...

Aim for arms! The Myst Lynx and the Arctic Cheetah both have MGs in the arms and the Myst Lynx in particular has HUGE arm hit boxes.

Flamers? against a mech that has a primary weapon system that builds zero heat. Questionable advise. Even if the energy weapons are sidelined the Myst Lynx and Arctic Cheetah can maintain an aggressive posture. The better advise is use weapons that pop those arms off fast. But I guesst is flamers is what you have (why?) then go for it.

Defensive strategies, I played the Myst Lynx light machine gun boat for a good amount of time and would routinely rack up 4+ kills because I was always scanning for the mechs with open armor on vital areas. So to be defensive if you have an open rear side torso don't be in the rear. Force that Lynx pilot to expose themselves to your team mates to get to you. If you front CT is depleted try and be mid formation (not on the front or to far behind) Turn a lot so your facing will be unpredictable when you know there is a machine gunner around.

[mistlynx4life]

The flamers require little accuracy, are close-range weapons, and might be a more efficient use of your heat than weapons that might not do full damage. A hot Lynx is a grounded Lynx. Obviously, it's not even close to the best defense out there but it's something, that's all. Good point about the calling.

[N0ni]

1 or 2 Gauss hits makes them complete 180° back to the queue screen. If you want a true hard counter to the Mist Lynx, it's a well placed ballistic/ppc hit or two.

What it breaks down to is "oh this guy can hit things, better avoid that." or if they're dumb "lol lucky hit, i'm just gonna run behind this guy aaaaand i'm dead. Well then."

Mist Lynx is like a fly, no need to call it over VoIP... just have the swatter handy.

[chucklesMuch]

"dis-arming" them isn't hard... them arms are HUGE like Thanatos ST's... and require even less damage to remove. ie soggy tissue will do it.

Edited by chucklesMuch, 18 November 2017 - 01:57 AM.

[Nightbird]

Look at the OP's name, this is intentional misinformation

[Zigmund Freud]

I remember one game on frozen city, where out team rushed forward, and 2 100-tonners were left behind, and almost rekt by MG lynx. Me in Atlas and a dude in King Crab were going through city about 200m away, i lost visual contact with KC, and in 15 seconds he's dead, without even spotting the little booger. I get spooked, but keep going to rejoin the team. 10 sec later get my rear CT open, and hear this annoying tin tin tin tin tin tin tin tin. I spent next 5 minutes just leaning on the wall, because the monster was still there, lurking in frosty fog, waiting, and whenever I try to move it was after my red ***. Luckily I was rescued by some friendly light, but the guy did a lot for his team, disabling 2 assaults in a 25t mech. Good game.

[Snazzy Dragon]

The secret is to shoot them. At least, I think it's a secret, because I see a lot of people struggle with this.

[mistlynx4life]

It's less information than overly-exaggerated statement of the obvious by a veteran in the chassis sick of all the ridiculous claims that the variant and it's loadout are in any way overpowered, lol. Not everyone, of course, but enough. I don't drive a Mist Lynx because I want Easy Mode, I want a challenge - here, this is how you beat me. Now dry those salty tears and let's rumble!

[panzer1b]

Secret counter lel, all you need is 50 or so hitscan alfa strike (or dual GR), and a steady hand to hit the bugger with it. Just aim CT, if you miss itll blow off its arms, or if you dont, itll kill it faster then it can do anything to you.

The trick to killing them is to spot the MLX before its behind you, and try to damage it before it gets in range to do anything. Its made of paper laced with explosives, so any sort of fire directed at it (that doesnt miss entirely) is gonna add up really quick.

[mistlynx4life]

This is why I don't bother with LMGs. Conventional strategy says to use them at range to pick off components but I don't want to engage at range where my enemy has the advantage both in probable firepower and time to line up a shot or get a lock. I need to be up close where I can minimize my time in Red's reticule. Believe it or not, even streaks can be countered this way... if you can manage to keep from getting target locked. This idea that MLX-Gs should only engage from behind or whatever - that's a snap decision. We shouldn't be afraid to engage from any side and I know when I'm up close I'm utilizing jump jets to attack from all directions.

This is why the buddy system is such a discouragement - if I'm right up on a Red but his pal can keep a lock on me, I'm victim to not only his firepower but any LRMs that want to contribute from afar as well. As continues to be said, it's a really delicate little dancer. I think the fact that its omnipod set bonus is buffs to accel and decel attest to these sorts of strategies in mind when it was designed.

[ESC 907]

mistlynx4life, on 18 November 2017 - 02:12 PM, said:

This is why I don't bother with LMGs. Conventional strategy says to use them at range to pick off components but I don't want to engage at range where my enemy has the advantage both in probable firepower and time to line up a shot or get a lock. I need to be up close where I can minimize my time in Red's reticule. Believe it or not, even streaks can be countered this way... if you can manage to keep from getting target locked. This idea that MLX-Gs should only engage from behind or whatever - that's a snap decision. We shouldn't be afraid to engage from any side and I know when I'm up close I'm utilizing jump jets to attack from all directions.

This is why the buddy system is such a discouragement - if I'm right up on a Red but his pal can keep a lock on me, I'm victim to not only his firepower but any LRMs that want to contribute from afar as well. As continues to be said, it's a really delicate little dancer. I think the fact that its omnipod set bonus is buffs to accel and decel attest to these sorts of strategies in mind when it was designed.

I prefer to engage from within a murder-ball, or a target that is already engaged and has its aggro pulled. If I'm off harassing, I'll try to hit from behind, but I almost never stick around for long. If possible, I'll pull aggro to squirrel a target into a heavier friendly, then commit to hitting them while they're focused elsewhere. And use those JJs to their full extent, but beware fall-dmg.

Also, as a MLX, you can only be called out if you're the biggest priority target around. From within a lance of heavies/assaults you'll most likely go unnoticed.

[Trissila]

Snazzy Dragon, on 18 November 2017 - 09:07 AM, said:

The secret is to shoot them. At least, I think it's a secret, because I see a lot of people struggle with this.

Day 2 of the event had me playing my ACH again, with 2xHML and 6xcLMG. I managed to end that round as the last man standing (incursion), with 5 kills, 4 solos, 5 KMDDs, and 1,100 damage done.

And it was all because the enemy team completely ignored me. They let me sit there and hold my triggers at them, completely unopposed.

Can confirm that "shoot them" is a secret, that apparently very few people know.

[Nighthawk513]

Can confirm that "shoot them" is a viable option. Had one try to sneak up on my MAD-IIC-D a few days ago. Saw him coming on seismic, faced the corner, and he came around and fell over dead instantly after a 50 point frontload alpha to the CT. Turned around and kept going to the rest of the fight.

[UnKnownPlayer]

I dont really play QP, mostly FP, bring streak boats in the team waves 3 and 4. Job done.

[mistlynx4life]

Literally seeing that someone has more than a single set of Streak2's will literally deter me from engaging them if at all possible. Once I see the loadout up in the top-right, I'm booking it. It's not impossible for me to win that encounter but the trading of armor is simply not worth it until late game when it might be unavoidable or whatever.

Interestingly, I started a new account to test something out this week. In an unskilled MLX-G, I'm encountering better resistance at the lower tiers (5/4). It's not even Streaks, just players willing to duke it out properly. Not a judgement on anyone but it has me thinking if the newer or more casual (read: non-Meta) players are more willing to adapt the necessary tactics required to smoosh my Lynxes, lol.

[DAYLEET]

mistlynx4life, on 20 November 2017 - 08:26 AM, said:

Interestingly, I started a new account to test something out this week. In an unskilled MLX-G, I'm encountering better resistance at the lower tiers (5/4). It's not even Streaks, just players willing to duke it out properly.

So its like the urbie. People disregard you because no matter your loadout, every other mech on the battlefield is a more dangerous threat. Except at lower tier is seems.

[Verilligo]

Can confirm, the secret to dealing with the Mist Lynx the mech is to shoot it. Maybe tease them a little bit before the fight about not being in a Mist Lynx if they're Mist Lynx the person. But yeah, you pretty much have it hit on the head, the Lynx is an apex vulture that really gains its benefit by being ignored. Sometimes you don't have a choice, such as when you're going head on with 150 tons of opposition and this little blighter comes screaming in from whatever angle they please. But in those sorts of situations... well, you kind of walked into it. It's up to the buddy that you better be with in order to spring you out of it.

MRMs are also amazing against Crit Lynx designs. Their arms are spread out so wide and with such big hitboxes that you can utterly ruin their day with even a single salvo.

[Whitey On The Moon]

Just don't be that guy,
You know, the one who is standing by himself 300m from the main pack, 'cause when you start scratching your head wondering wheredephuk that air strike just came from, ive already laid 2 13pt ( in my PB, MLX-G is worse) shots into your back armor on top of that strike and I'm coming to gitcha.
Running towards the pack or calling for help now only means you die breathless..

Edited by Whitey On The Moon, 20 November 2017 - 11:51 AM.

[GrimRiver]

Weapons that work 100% of the time against MLX: All pulses, all streaks+BAP/C-AP, SRM4/6, LMG's and LBX.

Because MLX is slow for a 25 tonner, has very little armor and even less structure, so if you're having trouble hitting it then your aim is truly potatoes.

It's only seems like an issue because people are too busy having a staring contest with larger mechs while ignoring the fly on their back.

"B-b-but muh back armor" To be fair people front load most of their armor and leave 4-8 points on the back, if you leave that amount of armor on the rear then pretty much any alpha would've opened you up to death anyway.

(Not say running that amount of back armor is bad, just that if you're gonna run that amount then you should be more aware of what's around you and not blame light mechs that took advantage of your tactical error.)

About most of my mechs(even my lights) can either open up or 1 shot MLX's.

Not direct at anyone really, just saying in general.

Edited by GrimRiver, 20 November 2017 - 12:21 PM.